VinX
05-19-2009, 11:55 AM
Artists Don’t Want Pirate Fans to be Disconnected
Last week, a
group of music and other entertainment industry representatives urged
the UK government to consider drafting legislation that would force
ISPs to disconnect alleged pirates. This proposal now faces opposition
from an unexpected corner as a coalition of top artists has spoken out
against it, saying that disconnecting their fans is the wrong path to
take.
In
an attempt to have their voices heard, a group of leading musicians
have started their own lobby group, the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC (http://www.featuredartistscoalition.com/)).
The group includes members such as Robbie Williams, Billy Bragg,
Radiohead, Iron Maiden and Travis, and aims to correct music labels and
lobby groups that claim to act in the best interest of artists.
The most recent intervention by the coalition of artists concerns the call (http://torrentfreak.com/uk-entertainment-industry-wants-to-disconnect-pirates-090512/)
by entertainment industry lobby groups for so called ‘three-strikes’
legislation, to disconnect repeat copyright infringers. Again, the
copyright lobby has been acting on its own and without asking for input
from the very artists they claim to represent.
“Not for the first time, we at the Featured Artist Coalition are
forced to question whether the record industry is representing the best
interests of artists in calling for such measures,” UK musician Billy
Bragg writes in an article for the Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/may/18/billy-bragg-copyright-music-internet),
dealing with the topic. According to Bragg the music industry is trying
to blame ISPs for a ‘problem’ that is not as easily solved as it would
first appear.
“Never mind that this is a shameful attempt to pass responsibility
on to another sector of industry, the question remains whether or not
such measures will have the desired effect. Technology has so far
stayed ahead of enforcement. Any unauthorised filesharers who fear
being caught out can simply encrypt their exchanges,” Bragg writes.
He further claims that it is sometimes hard for fans to find
DRM-free music anywhere else than on file-sharing networks. The demands
of music fans have changed with the emergence of the Internet, but the
music industry has failed to offer decent alternatives thus far.
“The Featured Artist Coalition is opposed to copyright infringement,
but we recognise that, if technology allows people to access music for
free, they will take advantage. The next generation of music fans may
no longer want to pay for music, but they are still hungry to hear it.
The challenge to the industry is to find ways to monetise their
behaviour.”
“Clearly, some form of P2P subscription service is the way forward,
if only because it provides the most convenient way for consumers to
access music,” Bragg argues.
Eventually the labels might have to give up the distribution
component that has been at the core of their business for years on end.
This paints an uncertain future for the labels and that might be one of
the main reasons why they are so resistant. Or to put it in Bragg’s
words;
“Yet for the major labels, the success of such an initiative would
mean the end of their control over the distribution of music. Is this
the real reason why they seem determined to do everything they can to
clip the wings of the fledgling digital industry before it can fly?”
SOURCE : TorrentFreak (http://torrentfreak.com/artists-dont-want-pirate-fans-to-be-disconnected-090518/)
Last week, a
group of music and other entertainment industry representatives urged
the UK government to consider drafting legislation that would force
ISPs to disconnect alleged pirates. This proposal now faces opposition
from an unexpected corner as a coalition of top artists has spoken out
against it, saying that disconnecting their fans is the wrong path to
take.
In
an attempt to have their voices heard, a group of leading musicians
have started their own lobby group, the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC (http://www.featuredartistscoalition.com/)).
The group includes members such as Robbie Williams, Billy Bragg,
Radiohead, Iron Maiden and Travis, and aims to correct music labels and
lobby groups that claim to act in the best interest of artists.
The most recent intervention by the coalition of artists concerns the call (http://torrentfreak.com/uk-entertainment-industry-wants-to-disconnect-pirates-090512/)
by entertainment industry lobby groups for so called ‘three-strikes’
legislation, to disconnect repeat copyright infringers. Again, the
copyright lobby has been acting on its own and without asking for input
from the very artists they claim to represent.
“Not for the first time, we at the Featured Artist Coalition are
forced to question whether the record industry is representing the best
interests of artists in calling for such measures,” UK musician Billy
Bragg writes in an article for the Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/may/18/billy-bragg-copyright-music-internet),
dealing with the topic. According to Bragg the music industry is trying
to blame ISPs for a ‘problem’ that is not as easily solved as it would
first appear.
“Never mind that this is a shameful attempt to pass responsibility
on to another sector of industry, the question remains whether or not
such measures will have the desired effect. Technology has so far
stayed ahead of enforcement. Any unauthorised filesharers who fear
being caught out can simply encrypt their exchanges,” Bragg writes.
He further claims that it is sometimes hard for fans to find
DRM-free music anywhere else than on file-sharing networks. The demands
of music fans have changed with the emergence of the Internet, but the
music industry has failed to offer decent alternatives thus far.
“The Featured Artist Coalition is opposed to copyright infringement,
but we recognise that, if technology allows people to access music for
free, they will take advantage. The next generation of music fans may
no longer want to pay for music, but they are still hungry to hear it.
The challenge to the industry is to find ways to monetise their
behaviour.”
“Clearly, some form of P2P subscription service is the way forward,
if only because it provides the most convenient way for consumers to
access music,” Bragg argues.
Eventually the labels might have to give up the distribution
component that has been at the core of their business for years on end.
This paints an uncertain future for the labels and that might be one of
the main reasons why they are so resistant. Or to put it in Bragg’s
words;
“Yet for the major labels, the success of such an initiative would
mean the end of their control over the distribution of music. Is this
the real reason why they seem determined to do everything they can to
clip the wings of the fledgling digital industry before it can fly?”
SOURCE : TorrentFreak (http://torrentfreak.com/artists-dont-want-pirate-fans-to-be-disconnected-090518/)