Category Archives: Artist Rights

MySpace Sucks – Even the NY Times Gets Why

MySpace is trying to tell artists what widgets they can embed on their myspace pages. Think again. The backlash will kill the whole site.
It will be nice to see it happen. (Meaning it will be nice to either see the crappy myspace fail, or a smarter myspace wake up and relax these silly restrictions.)

MySpace Restrictions Upset Some Users

By Brad Stone for the NY Times.

Some users of MySpace feel as if their space is being invaded.
MySpace, the Web’s largest social network, has gradually been imposing
limits on the software tools that users can embed in their pages, like
music and video players that also deliver advertising or enable
transactions…
But to some formerly enthusiastic MySpace users, the new restrictions
hamper their abilities to design their pages and promote new projects.
“The reason why I am so bummed out about MySpace now is because recently
they have been cutting down our freedom and taking away our rights slowly,”
wrote Tila Tequila, a singer who is one of MySpace’s most popular and
visible users, in a blog posting over the weekend. “MySpace will now only
allow you to use ‘MySpace’ things.”…
The tussle between MySpace and Indie911 underscores tensions between
established Internet companies and the latest generation of Web start-ups.
Without a critical mass of visitors to their sites, many of these smaller
companies are devising strategies that involve clamping on to sites like
MySpace and Facebook and trying to make money off their traffic.
MySpace, meanwhile, is trying to show that it can generate stable revenue.
Google will pay it at least $900 million over the next three years to serve
ads to the site’s users. And last fall, MySpace announced a partnership
with Snocap, a San Francisco-based company, to sell music.
Perhaps not coincidentally, this year, MySpace blocked widgets from Revver,
a video-sharing site that embeds advertisements in its clips, and Imeem, a
music buying service.

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AFTRA, AFM, FMC and RAC Release “Joint Statement On Current Issues In Radio”


Artist Groups Deliver “Joint Statement On Current Issues In Radio”

The press release is available online here.

John Connolly, National President, AFTRA:
The escalating vertical and horizontal consolidation of radio station ownership has harmed recording artists, from the freshest innovators to the most accomplished veteran stars – AFTRA members all. As a result of the homogeneous and limited playlists that have emerged with concentrated radio station ownership, fewer artists are able to receive airplay and reach an audience. Because these same media conglomerates also own concert venues and concert promotion companies, it can’t help but create a modern version of payola — radio station owners forcing artists to be represented by their promoters and perform in their venues or run the risk of being shut out of certain key markets entirely or negatively impact the artist’s airtime across the country. This monopolistic structure severely impacts the ability of artists to succeed and also harms the public – we have access to less music with less diversity, and the music we hear is selected based on crass commercial promotional considerations rather than quality or performer artistry.
Thomas F. Lee, International President, AFM:
It’s bad for musicians and bad for the public when a few large radio owners can pressure performers to use promoters and venues that they control, force artists to pay independent promotion fees in order to get airplay, and homogenize radio playlists around the country. The AFM and the music community continue to insist that the radio waves belong to the public, and to demand that Congress and the FCC ensure that radio serves the public interest.

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Moby Board Member Sued By RIAA For Filesharing

The RIAA is suing “liquidlevel,” one of Moby.com‘s board members!
Moby “can’t see any good in coming from punishing people for being music fans and making the effort to hear new music.” Right on dude!
He says he’s tempted to use Kazaa to download some of his own music, just to see if he got sued.
Of course, they probably wouldn’t, once they knew it was him. Because presumably, Moby is the copyright owner of his own music.
But this raises other questions about a musician’s right to use the internet to promote themselves — even if the record company says “no.” Why would a record label punish an artist for trying to promote themselves (to sell more records or concert tickets)? It just doesn’t make sense.
This all has a lot to do with the revolution that I have predicted (or instigated, depending on how you look at it 🙂

Moby Tour Diary Update – RIAA 9/29/2003 – New York City

so apparently the riaa are sueing one of our very own moby.com board members, liquidlevel, for file-sharing.
personally i just can’t see any good in coming from punishing people for being music fans and making the effort to hear new music.
i’m almost tempted to go onto kazaa and download some of my own music, just to see if the riaa would sue me for having mp3’s of my own songs on my hard-drive.
-moby

The Revolution Will Be MP3’d

There’s a revolution going on guys, and it starts today!
Musicians are going to stand up for their right to use the Internet to promote their music.
Listeners are going to stand up for their right to not be spied on and treated as criminals for sharing that music.
Ready, set….GO!
Here’s an awesome MP3 that will serve nicely as its theme song (courtesy of Zug):
RIAA Phone Call

Here’s more information about it
.
(Thanks, Jason.)
Lyrics:
well i recollect the days when music was free
you could tape from the radio, burn a CD
now the RIAA wants to know about me
my address, my number, my ISP
yo, bitches, ain’t we still got privacy?
why the president be lettin’ you spy on me
how many tricks they gonna be lettin you try on me?
trying to be spying on my MP3s
But you protect YOUR corporate privacy
Keep your phone number hidden from the bourgeoisie
Your customers have to play hide and seek
So here’s the number to call if you disagree
775-0101
775-0101
202-775-0101
why’s the RIAA starting litigations
the cops should be looking for the real perpetrations
the killers, the racists, the rapists
‘stead of fucking with us for saving to our hard disk
raise your middle finger if you feel me loc
these fucking subpoenas are a fucking joke
leave us alone, throw us a bone
like i did with your mom that time at your home
There’s NO SUCH THING as bad publicity
Even if you giving it out for free
So join us in the twenty-first century
Where we find our new songs on MP3s
Embrace the new technologies
Grokster, Kazaa, and P2P
So call this number now, and help them see
And if you call from work, your call is free!
775-0101
775-0101
202-775-0101
202 is the area code and we’re dialin’
775 and then we be smilin’
0101-1-cary sherman
well isn’t this fun it’s ZUG.com
you know, they’ve never been fair to the bands.
now the riaa takes a stand?
can’t believe we’re getting preached to by the man
so what’s the plan, stan? I’ve got a short attention span.
they’ve gotta change up the music industry
make it all available on MP3
listen to people like you and me
and make us wanna pay a monthly fee
this song is now my lyrical catastrophe
go ahead and grab it, it’s completely free
aint gotta pay a dime to listen to me
So share this song and fuck the industry

Ticketmaster Builds Scalping Right Into Its System

That’s funny, I thought scalping was immoral and illegal, and that there were laws against it and stuff. It sure seems like it when the cops arrest people in front of venues for doing so.
I guess it’s OK when a corporation stands to make the profit from such practices.
What I want to know is: how are the increased ticket revenues going to make their way back to the artists? My guess is that they’re not. Consumers will be hit with exorbitant ticket prices (when ticket prices are already too high for many to even go to concerts anymore). So fewer people will go to shows, and that means smaller crowds for artists. Only Ticketmaster stands to benefit from this system. It will keep track of the auction prices. It will redistribute the profits as it sees fit.
The article says that “venue operators, promoters and performers will decide whether to participate,” but I wonder how many artists have enough weight to have any say in the matter. I wish that artists really did have the power to refuse to play concerts using this auction system. Some of the larger acts might be able to do this. It will really depend on which acts care about all of their fans, and which acts only care about their rich fans. Only time will tell.
Ticketmaster Auction Will Let Highest Bidder Set Concert Prices
By Chris Nelson for the NY Times.

With no official price ceiling on such tickets, Ticketmaster will be able to compete with brokers and scalpers for the highest price a market will bear.
“The tickets are worth what they’re worth,” said John Pleasants, Ticketmaster’s president and chief executive. “If somebody wants to charge $50 for a ticket, but it’s actually worth $1,000 on eBay, the ticket’s worth $1,000. I think more and more, our clients – the promoters, the clients in the buildings and the bands themselves – are saying to themselves, `Maybe that money should be coming to me instead of Bob the Broker.’ ”
EBay has long been a busy marketplace for tickets auctioned by brokers and others. Late last week, for example, it had more than 22,000 listings for ticket sales.
Venue operators, promoters and performers will decide whether to participate in the Ticketmaster auctions, Mr. Pleasants said. In June, the company tested the system for the Lennox Lewis-Vitali Klitschko boxing match at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The minimum bid for the package – two ringside seats, a boxing glove autographed by Mr. Lewis and access to workouts, among other features – was $3,000, and the top payer spent about $7,000, a Staples Center spokesman, Michael Roth, said.
Once the auction service goes live, Ticketmaster will receive flat fees or a percentage of the winning bids, to be decided with the operators of each event, said Sean Moriarty, Ticketmaster’s executive vice president for products, technology and operations.

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Attention: New Yorkers – Stand Up For Your DJ’s And Against Censorship This Thursday At 12:30 At Bryant Park

AFTRA RALLY AGAINST CLEAR CHANNEL
March 27
12:30 P.M. – 2 P.M.
(Clear Channel is an organizer of pro war rallies;
sent a memo to their 1000+ stations suggesting they
NOT play John Lennon’s “Imagine” and a multitude of
other songs right after 9/11; has links to Bush
Administration; and also are accused of unfair
practices by artists touring who, in order to get
airplay on their stations in certain markets, must use
Clear Channel promoters.)
* * *
original call from AFTRA:
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
March 2003
AFTRA
New York
Local
AFTRA RALLY
at BRYANT PARK,
Thursday, MARCH 27th at 12:30 PM
Clear Channel Communications,
the owner of WKTU, WLTW, WAXQ, WWPR, and WHTZ,
wants the right to fire DJs and replace them with
cheaper, out-of-state announcers who pre-record shows
through a process called “voice-tracking.”
Clear Channel Communications wants to take the
hometown voices out of New York City radio.
COME TO THE RALLY TO
SUPPORT AND MEET
THE DJs YOU LISTEN TO EVERYDAY!
Bryant Park
42nd Street and 6th Avenue at the Fountain
Thursday, March 27th
12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
For more information contact:
Broadcast Department,
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists,
New York Local
www.keepnyradiolive.com
(212) 532-0800
It is a fight we are in together.

Natalie Merchant Decides To Break Free From Traditional Music Industry Ball and Chains

Natalie Merchant, No Strings Attached
By Jon Pareles for the NY Times.

When her Elektra contract expired in August 2002, she chose not to renew it or to seek a deal with another major label. “I would make a big-budget pop album, followed by a year of touring and promotion and then some downtime for recovery,” she said. “I don’t even know if I was writing music that was appropriate for that mold.” Instead she will release her next album, a collection of traditional songs called “The House Carpenter’s Daughter,” on her own label, Myth America Records. It is to be released June 1 through Ms. Merchant’s Web site, nataliemerchant .com, and July 1 in stores.
Recorded on a modest budget, marketed primarily to existing fans and not relying on radio exposure, “The House Carpenter’s Daughter” breaks free of the commercial pressures that have turned major-label releases into risky gambles that can cost a million dollars in promotion alone. In contrast, Ms. Merchant’s transition suggests the model of a sustainable career for a musician who is no longer eager to chase hits.

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Cory Doctorow On Art and Knowledge Outlasting File Formats

Here’s Cory answering a question from the audience about file formats and longevity:
“I think that, in general, promiscuity is a better longevity strategy than longevity itself. I think having one copy that’s armor-plated is a less effective strategy for having your work last than having a bizillion copies.” — Cory Doctorow.

Audio – Cory Q and A (Lo-res 3 MB)
Cory Q and A – ALL (Hi-res 74 MB)
Cory Q and A – ALL (Lo-res 32 MB)
Cory Q and A – Part 1 of 2 (Lo-res 18 MB)
Cory Q and A – Part 2 of 2 (Lo-res 14 MB)

Janis Ian’s Response To The RIAA vs. Verizon Verdict

Don’t Sever a High-Tech Lifeline for Musicians
By Janis Ian for the LA Times

The entertainment industry has a long history of trying to shut down new technology. Most often, it has imagined that new products and services threatened industry sales. It’s been proved wrong time and time again; it fought home video tooth and nail, but videotapes and rentals now bring in more money than movie releases. Music history is littered with record industry campaigns against reel-to-reel home tape recorders, cassettes, minidiscs, music videos and MTV.
Verizon is appealing the decision, and it is vital that the judge’s ruling be overturned.
The RIAA says it is doing all this to make more money for me and other artists like me, but don’t be fooled. Many musicians would lose money, many fans would be denied a universe of new choices and the possibilities of Internet music would be cut off before the revolution even begins.

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Janis Ian in USA Today!

Janis Ian is getting some major ink in USA Today:
Music industry spins falsehood

Many artists now benefit greatly from the free-download systems the RIAA seeks to destroy. These musicians, especially those without a major-label contract, can reach millions of new listeners with a downloadable song, enticing music fans to buy a CD or come to a concert of an artist they would have otherwise missed.
The RIAA and the entrenched music industry argue that free downloads are threats. The music industry had exactly the same response to the advent of reel-to-reel home tape recorders, cassettes, DATs, minidiscs, VCRs, music videos, MTV and a host of other products and services.
I am not advocating indiscriminate downloading without the artist’s permission. Copyright protection is vital. But I do object to the industry spin that it is doing all this to protect artists. It is not protecting us; it is protecting itself.
I hope the court rejects the efforts of the music industry to assault the Internet and the music fans who use it. Speaking as an artist, I want us to work together — industry leaders, musicians, songwriters and consumers — to make technology work for all of us.

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