Canadian musicians give DRM a kick in the @$$
It's days like today that I'm proud to be a Canadian. I'll sit down and eat a stack of flapjacks doused in maple syrup, watch hockey and knock back a few Sleeman's, and then just wander around the neighbourhood saying "eh" to my fellow Canucks.
The cause for my national pride comes in the form of The Canadian Music Creators' Coalition (CMCC), who have established this nifty new website and spelled out their mission statement in a 5-page PDF document. Essentially, this roguish troupe of Canadian musicians -- including Broken Social Scene, Stars, Our Lady Peace, The Weakerthans, Billy Talent and Sum 41 -- have decided that musicians should have a say in whether or not fans are sued for file-sharing and whether or not record companies should cripple CDs with frustrating DRM copy-protection technology, the likes of which Sony BMG paid dearly for.
Over at Spyware Confidential, you can read about some of the soul-crushing litigation against the public that's being wielded by the Recording Industry Association of America. This is the kind of stuff that Canadian artists want to avoid. From the PDF:
We do not want to sue our fans. We oppose any copyright reforms that would make it easier for record companies to do this. The labels have been suing our fans against our will, and laws enabling these suits cannot be justified in our names...
Fans who share music are not thieves or pirates. Sharing music has been happening for decades. It is hypocritical for labels to sue fans for something that everyone in the music industry has done him or herself. New technologies may have changed the way that fans share music, but they have not changed the fact that sharing helps artists’ careers.
Ever heard of a mix tape? What about before the advent of marvelous dual-cassette players, when music fans taped their favourite tunes off the radio? People have been sharing music since the dawn of recordable media, and before. It's insane to sue fans for utilising a specific technology to share music and not for using another. That is, regardless of how you're sharing music, it's not a crime, nor can the recording industry prove their losses in any specific case. If they could say, "This kid using Kazaa fleeced us out of $100,000," they might have a case. Otherwise, it's all bull.
Here's what the CMCC have to say about DRM and software copy protection (my most hated foe):
Artists do not support using digital locks to increase the labels’ control over the distribution, use and enjoyment of music, let alone laws that would prohibit circumvention of such technological measures. Digital locks, and laws protecting them, are risky and counterproductive...
The major labels’ tactics are backfiring and hurting artists. The use of digital locks is decreasing consumer confidence in entertainment products and leading to resentment of the music industry as a whole. The labels that employ these tactics feel the backlash, but actual Canadian artists also suffer as a result. The recent incident concerning Sony BMG’s digital rights management systems illustrates the risks inherent in trying to control consumers through technology.
Technological restrictions on music are also counterproductive, because they disappoint fans. Taking away consumers’ choices will cause fewer fans to buy our music.
Absolutely right. I've put down plenty of CDs when I noticed that little "this may not be compatible with iPods" warning on the case. Anything that I can't rip onto my PC and listen to in MP3 format, I won't buy. What's the point of having all this fancy digital technology when the RIAA is shoving us back into the dark ages of the compact disc? I don't listen to anything on CD anymore. Rip it and play it in iTunes or Winamp or whatever. It's easier than swapping discs in and out, and it's made those absurd 50- or 100-CD changers that rich folk used to own seem utterly arcane.
The CMCC is making a whole lot of sense, trying to protect their own interests (not the interests of record labels and distributors) and make sure listeners are free to do whatever they want with the music they purchase. If you bought it, you should be allowed to do whatever you want with it, including sharing it on recordable media and ripping it into any digital format, on any device.
Check out the CMCC website here and download the PDF, "A New Voice: Policy Paper," here.
[spyware] [security]
