Despite collecting millions in P2P related settlements from the likes of Napster ($270 million), Bolt ($30 million), Kazaa ($130 million), and other companies, those who are supposed to benefit from it - the artists whose rights had been allegedly infringed - are apparently not being compensated with the proceeds from the lawsuits.
Now, according this article, the managers of some major artists are starting to get very impatient to the point of threatening to file lawsuits against the RIAA if they don't get paid soon. Of course, comments from the labels all claim that the money is on its way, and that it is simply taking longer due to difficulties calculating how to split the money with regard to the level of copyright infringement for each artist.
Not only that, but sources claim there may not even be much left to pay out after the outrageous legal fees are taken care of. If that's the case, why sue in the first place then? Clearly this is just RIAA's way of protecting an aging business model rather than finding a way to embrace the technologies that will eventually prove essential to the industry's survival.