From skins-meister Lars Ulrich (of Metallica fame) regarding his band's
anti-Napster lawsuit:
--
http://slashdot.org/interviews/00/05/26/1251220.shtml
-- artists should be allowed to opt out of MP3 distribution framework,
e.g. Napster
-- use of MP3 (or similar technology) to cut out both record label and
distributors is only realistic for groups with larger prescence, i.e.
Metallica
-- artists should be allowed to distribute (or not) digital media on
own terms, i.e. retain control of art
-- artists and label not entirely responsible for high cost of CDs
-- home taping != perfect digital copies because of quality and scale
-- Lars probably fills up his brand new Chevy Suburban with premium
unleaded, paid for with the sweat off your backs
Are his opinions and reasoning tainted by lawyers from Warner
Brothers-owned Elektra Records? Hard to say. He seems to ramble and
reiterate several points in answering different questions, almost as if the
conversation is scripted (to a degree). Hard to say.
Was listening to Robert Fripp's "The Gates of Paradise" the other day.
Released back in 1997, his album preceded the Napster explosion by a couple
of years. I read the liner notes and found some interesting quotes:
"Discipline [Fripp's record label] accepts no reason for artists to
assign the copyright interests in their work to either record company or
management by virtue of a 'common practice' which was always questionable,
often improper, and is now indefensible...
"...[T]he artist pays to record the album, generally on an advance
provided by the record company...and the album is owned by the record
company... If the record company, or the owner of the company, sells the
catalogue or the company itself, the artist receives nothing for their
work, even though the artist paid for it to be made... [This is true, sadly
enough: refer to
http://www.awa.com/w2/off_track/ot-1.10.html for an
instance of this]
"The artists affirm their moral rights to be acknowledged the authors of
these works...
"Let us sadly acknowledge, in the spirit of preparing the future and
repairing the past, that the publishing industry and music industry has
often and repeatedly failed to treat its artists honourably, equitably and
with common decency...
"Cynicism and bitterness are natural, reasonable and likely responses for
anyone, whether performer or audient, who knows a close relationship with
those who control money flows within the music industry; music can be a
gate to Paradise, but cynicism holds us at the threshold...
"Any culture whose artists are directed or controlled by commercial
interests is in mortal danger. Any artist directed or controlled by
commercial interests is in mortal danger. Any artist willingly directed or
controlled by commercial interests is not to be trusted.
"The history of the music industry is a history of exploitation and theft."
-Robert Fripp, The Gates of Paradise
"No, I do not drive a Suburban."
-ibid.
-a.
Alex Reynolds
Biology IT Support
SAS Computing
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104
V +1 215 573.2818
F +1 215 898.8780
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~reynolda/
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