The 4-Letter Acronym That Could Kill The New Music Industry

By Jeff Price

As some of you may already know, there are two bills bouncing around Capitol Hill called PIPA and SOPA that are supposed to stop websites and internet services from illegally giving away other people’s music (this also extends to film, books, software, video games etc., but I am only going to focus on the music side of things).

I adamantly believe that when an artist creates and records a song, the artist, and only the artist, should have the right to do with it what they want.  If they want to sell it, they should sell it.  If they want to give it away, it’s theirs to give away.  No one else has the right to make those decisions for them.

As noble as this premise may sound, the reality is that the world is full of good people, bad people, and uneducated people.  And, whether we like it or not, all these people have access to technology that makes a lot of my beliefs moot–what good is a belief or law if it is simply unenforceable.

To that end, Congress got lobbied hard by the RIAA to write a new law that allows its label members (note: the RIAA is the trade association for the major labels) to have a new legal weapon to go after “rogue” websites and services that give the middle finger to copyright by allowing people to get music for free from artists that do not want to give it away for free.

The problem is that the bills lobbied for were done so by the RIAA, the organization that no longer represents the music industry.   The majority of today’s music is being created, distributed, bought, streamed and shared from artists outside of the RIAA label member system.  The RIAA and its members are no longer the voice of the industry; they are the voice of what was, and an ever-shrinking part of what is.  Congress needs to wake up to this fact.

Or said more eloquently by the Deputy Director of Future Of Music Coalition Casey Rae Hunter:

“Artists have every right to be wary when powerful entertainment conglomerates push for policies that could undermine free expression, all the while claiming to speak for creators.”

The second problem is that the bill gives the old school players the power to not only protect their copyrights (which I support), but also to kill the new music industry.

Simply stated, if the SOPA bill was signed into law in its original form, TuneCore could  have been threatened to be turned off, and thus cut off the choice, freedom, and future revenue from the hundreds of thousands of TuneCore Artists that have earned over a quarter billion dollars. Fortunately, TuneCore would be able to handle the threat, but others with fewer resources may not have the same outcome (not to mention why should TuneCore have to spend its time and money to deal with another entity making frivolous claims).

And before you think I am being hyperbolic, here is a perfect example; the US is already seizing web properties through the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division.  One of their targets was a hip-hop blog called Djaz1.com which they literally shut down, claiming the hip-hop blog was illegally distributing songs it did not have the right to distribute.  That’s right, the government just grabbed the domain and shut the thing down.

Turns out the government had it all wrong – and a year later they finally relented, but not before irreparable damage was done.
The article on TechDirt titled: “Feds Falsely Censor Popular Blog For Over A Year, Deny All Due Process, Hide All Details…” provides a great play by play.  The author summarizes it well when he says:

The Dajaz1 case became particularly interesting to us, after we saw evidence showing that the songs that ICE used in its affidavit as “evidence” of criminal copyright infringement were songs sent by representatives of the copyright holder with the request that the site publicize the works — in one case, even coming from a VP at a major music label. Even worse, about the only evidence that ICE had that these songs were infringing was the word of the “VP of Anti-Piracy Legal Affairs for the RIAA,” Carlos Linares, who was simply not in a position to know if the songs were infringing or authorized. In fact, one of the songs involved an artist not even represented by an RIAA label, and Linares clearly had absolutely no right to speak on behalf of that artist.

If this doesn’t scare the crap out of you, it should.  If the original versions of the SOPA or PIPA bills passed, TuneCore, just like Djaz1.com could have been targeted.

The concept behind the bill is good—protect copyright—but the execution stinks.  Congressman and Senators don’t know that the power has shifted, and they need to hear from you.

Seriously, they need to hear from you.

Take action, get involved.  Call your Senator and/or Congressman and tell them what you think and why.

Or go here to learn and do more.

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January 19, 2012 · 45 Comments and 39 Reactions in Jeff’s Postings ,The Industry ,Web/Tech

This my fav track so far so I am just going choose this one to review.

I have been listening to hip hop from the beginning which you could say really came reggae toasters rapping over dub tracks in Jamaica and New York. I remember grooving to DJ’s spinning tracks on the streets in NYC. That being said, I really don’t like a lot of modern rap and hip hop.

I do enjoy these guys though. This track starts out with some mysterious synth lines and and launches into a spare bass/snappy snare sound with tinky synth sounds flying in and out.

I love the speedy lyric flow on this. Skillful wordplay and tight, rhythmic raps like Busta on a good day.

Nice work gents!

Keith

Exquisite!  Wicked Saints by Paul McCarty &
Wicked Saints is  a new Americana
classic.  It’s a gumbo of groovy blues,
edgy rock and country goodness.  The
songs are timely and timeless. “Walkin on the Water” is mysterious and sexy.  The swampy bayou bluesy sound is captivating
and the imagery is breath-taking.

“Mama” is beautifully heart wrenching as Paul sings about the
agony of losing his beloved mother. The melancholy melody is reaching and
unforgettable. The feelings of anxious apartness and bittersweet memories burn
the soul.

“Run Todd Run” is a plea for Todd Palin to flee from his politician
wife.  It seems to be born from
frustration and expressed with humor.
It’s a delightfully fun song.  The
vocals are brilliantly gruff and sincerely intense.

Another favorite from this album is “Roses and Thorns,”
a tender love song full of hope and sweet romance. The vocals are truly
touching and beautifully melodic and hypnotic.

The album is awash with acoustic guitars and the musicianship is
outstanding.  It reminds me of the purely
gut level songwriting of John Lennon and Bob Dylan.

I could not get enough of this CD.  Fabulous.
Five Stars!

http://youtu.be/JSouoT2T8U0