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A lot more three-strikes nonsense
By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 16 September 2009
So, this is all hotting up, isn’t it? More artists have laid into the debate on if and how the government should try to stop the kids from illegally file-sharing, and these guys don’t back the Featured Artist Coalition’s stance on the issue.
As previously reported, the FAC (and the Music Producer’s Guild, Music Managers Forum and British Academy Of Songwriters) have said they do not back any measures to combat file-sharing that could result in music fans losing their internet access. They mean, of course, the controversial three-strike proposal which is now seemingly on the government’s agenda.
But Lily Allen and Patrick Wolf aren’t so convinced on the FAC’s stance. Allen, in particular, says that it’s all well and good for FAC supporters like Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien and Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason to oppose tougher measures against net users who steal music because they’ve already made their money.
She wrote on her MySpace blog: “Mason, O’Brien and the Featured Artists Coalition say that file-sharing’s ‘like a sampler, like taping your mate’s music’, but mix tapes and recording from the radio are actually very different to the file sharing that happens today … in digital land pirated tracks are as good quality as bought tracks, so there’s not a need to buy for better quality. The Featured Artist Coalition also says file-sharing’s fine because it ‘means a new generation of fans for us’. This is great if you’re a big artist at the back end of your career with loads of albums to flog to a new audience, but emerging artists don’t have this luxury. Basically the FAC is saying ‘we’re alright, we’ve made it, so file-sharing’s fine’, which is just so unfair to new acts trying to make it in the industry”.
Although she added: “If this sounds like I’m siding with the record [cpmpany] bosses, I’m not. They’ve been naive and complacent about new technology – and they’ve spent all the money they’ve earned on their own fat salaries not industry development … [and] I don’t think what’s out there [ie legitimate digital services] is perfect. It’s stupid that kids can’t buy anything on the internet without credit, forcing them to steal Mum’s credit card or download illegally. It’s this kind of thing that the record company bosses, artists, broadband providers and government should be sitting down and discussing. [But] file-sharing’s not okay for British music. We need to find new ways to help consumers access and buy music legally, but saying file-sharing’s fine is not helping anyone – and definitely not helping British music. I want to get people working together to use new digital opportunities to encourage new artists”.
To be fair to the FAC, I don’t think they’ve ever said there should be a file-sharing free for all, rather that they don’t believe draconian net suspension programmes will have a huge impact on how many people file-share (keen file-sharers already have ways to hide their file-sharing from the labels and authorities), and that such measures will just piss off music fans and make them even more prone to steal off artists and labels. Though that’s not to say Ms Allen doesn’t make some valid points either. Damn, look at us, sitting on the fence on this issue. Oh for the days when the major record labels were completely deluded on all this and we could just slag them off.
Anyway, back to Lily and Patrick Wolf backing her up. Wolf, who recently released an album funded by fan-to-band investment company Bandstocks, lent his support to Allen yesterday, saying via his own MySpace blog: “I don’t have a Liberace helicopters and limousine lifestyle. I’m currently deciding whether I spend the last of my earnings this year from touring on recording the string and choir section of my new album or on the rent until December – just an example of how a lot of other musicians have it”.
He continued: “I dreamt as a teenager I would be able to buy a house one day, somewhere peaceful so that I could focus on writing and composing and perhaps set up a gorgeous studio with all the instruments I have collected to record and produce other bands. In the early 2000’s it seemed likely, but file-sharing means that most musicians will probably just make ends meet their whole life now and most musicians dreams will have to be put aside for need for part time work and doing the odd gig and free download-only single made on Garageband”.
Of course all this disagreement within the music industry as to how to tackle the file-sharing issue is really testing UK Music, the trade body set up just under a year ago to represent the wider music business, and not just one of its constituent groups. That’s tricky when some of the trade bodies affiliated with UK Music have issued conflicting statements as to whether or not net suspension should be on the government’s agenda.
The UK Music team seem basically in favour of tougher measures against P2P, though two of their affiliates – the Music Managers Forum and British Academy – have aired their concern regarding government plans. But the cross-sector body issued a new statement yesterday trying to demonstrate some unity on the issue. Though said statement was suitably vague in order to gain approval of all eight of the UK Music affiliates, as well as non-affiliated trade bodies the Music Producer’s Guild and Entertainment Retailer’s Association.
Following an official statement that read, “In context of an evolving licensed digital music market, we believe that government intervention is extremely welcome and that, subject to assessment, [media regulator] OfCom should be granted appropriate and proportionate powers as directed by the Secretary of State”, UK Music chief Feargal Sharkey said: “Like all of society, like all creative businesses, the UK’s commercial music industry reflects a wide spectrum of viewpoints and opinions. Discussions over recent weeks have drawn us much closer together and helped us to realise with greater certainty our shared vision of the future. We continue to welcome the government’s support and intervention, both of which will be vital to ensure that those who create and invest in music have the opportunity to deliver their full potential and reap the benefits, rewards and promises of an ever-evolving digital marketplace”.
Yeah, so, that doesn’t really say anything, does it? I propose a big wrestling match between those who support three-strikes and those who don’t. Get us some file-sharers and depending on who wins the wrestling, they’re either given a box of chocolates and a 300GB hard drive to take home, or they have all their fingers broken. Yeah try file-sharing with broken fingers.
