RIAA still claiming membership from non-affiliated labels

The RIAA is still claiming to speak for labels which have specifically not associated with them. The industry trade organization has frequently listed labels on their roster who either have not become members or have outright philosophical disagreements with the trade group's tactics.

As early as this incident in 2003, the organization claimed membership from labels like Fat Wreck Chords, Epitaph and Relapse and more recently has included Trustkill in the list of affiliated labels. Though the names had disappeared when contested, with each redesign of riaa.org, the labels reappear with both Fat Wreck Chords, Epitaph and Relapse listed there now.

Most recently, one of our readers contacted Trustkill to look into it and the label has
apparently asked to be removed from the site. The organization has become infamous for heavy–handed tactics against music pirates (or music fans, depending on your view) and has spawned sites that encourage fans to avoid RIAA labels. Since fans of these labels tend to be digitally savvy and aware of tactics used, some have argued that this could turn off fans.