Elvis and his 53 friends

[johnfoyle]

http://www.undercover.net.au/news/2005/ ... _rac2.html

Don Henley Comments On Grokster Ruling


by Paul Cashmere

28 June 2005

Eagles founder and president of the Recording Artists Coalition (RAC) Don Henley says artists have been vindicated in court today as a result of the ruling against Grokster.

"By ruling against Grokster, the Supreme Court has vindicated the rights of artists, songwriters, and copyright owners" he said. "There is no more important case for the future of our business. These unauthorized P2P systems promote copyright infringement on an unprecedented scale. They make millions of dollars in advertising, but pay the artists nothing."

RAC filed a Amicus Brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the Grokster litigation and urged the Supreme Court to overturn the Ninth Circuit's opinion that Grokster, Kazaa and Morpheus are not liable for copyright infringement.

The 54 recording artists who signed on to the RAC/NARAS Amicus Brief are: Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh & Timothy B. Schmit (the Eagles), Jimmy Buffett, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, "Mya" Harrison, Gavin Rossdale, Sheryl Crow, Kix Brooks & Ronnie Dunn (Brooks & Dunn), Bonnie Raitt; Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire & Emily Robison (The Dixie Chicks), Stevie Nicks, Phil Vassar, Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire; Mickey Hart & Bill Kreutzman (of The Grateful Dead), Avril Lavigne, Dido, Denyce Graves, Tom Jones; Jesse Colin Young, Sarah McLachlan, Martina McBride, Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave), Joe Terry & David White (of Danny and the Juniors), Billy Preston, Boz Scaggs, Diana Krall, Elvis Costello, Brian Wilson, Kenny Rogers, Tom Waits; Tyler Stewart, Jim Creeggan, Steven Page, Ed Robertson & Kevin Hearn (Barenaked Ladies), Deryck Whibley, Dave Baksh, Cone McCaslin & Steve Jocz (Sum 41), Brandon Hargest, Brittany Hargest, Chris Fedun & Lesley Moore (Jump 5), Bethany Dillon, Nichole Nordeman, and Michael W. Smith.

[millen]

If you know you're doing something illegal, don't go crying if you're busted.

Although I am in favour of sharing music -- like I used to make mixed tapes for my friends -- the amount of sharing done nowadays is simply ridiculous.

I think it's normal artists are sensitive about their work.
And I say this even though I don't believe sharing is responsible for artists making less money.

[invisible Pole]

Looks to me like about half of them shouldn't be that afraid of their music being shared on P2P ....

[ReadyToHearTheWorst]

It's interesting to see The Grateful Dead on the list, as they are famously pro-trading.

That presumably means they distinguish 'shows' from commercial releases - not something the record companies themselves seem to do (in public at least).

[bobster]

Strange Bedfellows fun....Elvis and Contemporary Christian pop (false) idol Michael W. Smith

[Extreme Honey]

I'm completely pro on this one. Not that I download music (I prefer cd format), but music is art and art is universal. Elvis should rejoice that his music is being shared, maybe he'll get some new and young fanbase that way. Although I don't think I'll ever find "The People's Limousine" on the net! Let's face it, people aren't going to go out and buy all the CDs that have a song they downloaded! Allright, so The Eagles and The Grateful Dead don't gain a few bucks more, but do they really need MORE money? Do us all a favour and go on tour to make some cash if you really need it!

P.S: Club Date in Memphis was great!

[lawngnome]

I'm on the fence. I download, but only non-copyrighted stuff. Or stuff that I could only ever want one song of. I have a lot of issues with the way the record companies and artists deal with this. I would think that for artists like Elvis that have such issues with record companies, the dling revolution would be a godsend. Really, he could just sell the songs right off a personal website, and maybe work something out for a promotional deal, and just go. They're are programs out there that make songs un-playable if they switch IPs. Or, they're could be. I do it with my writing all the time. If the content changes computers or is printed, it truns into nonsense. Fiona Apple's doing it! (with a very good album, I might add) (not that she's the sort of person that you should make a point of following a lot...)

[pophead2k]

Not that I download Allright, so The Eagles and The Grateful Dead don't gain a few bucks more, but do they really need MORE money? Do us all a favour and go on tour to make some cash if you really need it!

Sorry, but I must respectfully say that you miss the point in the argument. I am a musician who has made very little money from my work, but its MY work and I don't want anyone trading it for free without my permission. I would feel the same if I had loads of money. If WalMart makes billions a year, does that make it OK to shoplift from them? The amount of money an artist makes is not the point, the point is that it is their work to do with as they see fit. The Dead and many other groups are (were) very into live taping and trading- that's awesome. Other artists don't want it done. That is their prerogative.

[lawngnome]

I agree, but where does that leave the record companies that are the ones actually pressing suits? I actually want to know. Are they representing the artists, or are they just after the money that they supposably lost to downloading last year? Could it be that their intentions are less than honorable?

[Extreme Honey]

Not that I download Allright, so The Eagles and The Grateful Dead don't gain a few bucks more, but do they really need MORE money? Do us all a favour and go on tour to make some cash if you really need it!

Sorry, but I must respectfully say that you miss the point in the argument. I am a musician who has made very little money from my work, but its MY work and I don't want anyone trading it for free without my permission. I would feel the same if I had loads of money. If WalMart makes billions a year, does that make it OK to shoplift from them? The amount of money an artist makes is not the point, the point is that it is their work to do with as they see fit. The Dead and many other groups are (were) very into live taping and trading- that's awesome. Other artists don't want it done. That is their prerogative.

I see you point Pop Head, and I see how this new P2P revolution is devastating many artists who don't make THAT much money, and although I don't think your work is being shard on Kazaa, wouldn't you like it? Forget about the money, your work is being enjoyed by people all around the world. Isn't that what music is about? Hell no, not today it isn't.
But it damn well should be!

[King Hoarse]

Swings and roundabouts.

My band gets downloaded a lot more than we sell and I think it's actually good for us, because we can get paid quite a whopping fee to play in a country like Belgium, where we really don't sell a lot, and people will come and sing along and buy merch instead.

Downsides:

Small independent labels getting bankrupt. (Three consecutive ones for us '96 - '02, which meant we received no royalties for our first five records.)

Also, studio time is getting more and more expensive at the same time as records sell less and less, so much so that a lot of times labels know beforehand that there is no chance for the record to recoup, so rather than promoting it properly, they're trying to minimize the damage. A lot of the time, this means that the artist have to pay for the studio themselves, so many inexperienced performers get indebted for life. Or we'll have to download crappy sounding songs because the artist couldn't afford a decent mix.

Fewer artists can afford to quit their dayjobs to focus on the art. Dayjobs - less touring - more expensive ticket prices, etc.

I hate the increasingly common attitude that writing, performing and recording is not a proper job.