By Taj Campbell / Contributing writer
2004-05-11


Though the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has been tackling copyright infringement by slapping lawsuits on online peer-to-peer file sharers, recent research shows musicians are not convinced it is in their best interest.

New research from the Pew Internet Project claims that most musicians do not believe the RIAA's lawsuits will benefit artists.

Pew Internet is an initiative of the Pew Research Center, an independent opinion research group based in Philadelphia, that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public-policy issues.

During a one-month period between March and April, 2,775 musicians and songwriters responded to a Web-based survey with questions relating to copyright and music file sharing on the Internet.

According to the study, 60 percent of those surveyed do not believe the RIAA's efforts to halt file sharing through lawsuits will benefit musicians and songwriters.

By Taj Campbell / Contributing writer
2004-05-11


Though the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has been tackling copyright infringement by slapping lawsuits on online peer-to-peer file sharers, recent research shows musicians are not convinced it is in their best interest.

New research from the Pew Internet Project claims that most musicians do not believe the RIAA's lawsuits will benefit artists.

Pew Internet is an initiative of the Pew Research Center, an independent opinion research group based in Philadelphia, that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public-policy issues.

During a one-month period between March and April, 2,775 musicians and songwriters responded to a Web-based survey with questions relating to copyright and music file sharing on the Internet.

According to the study, 60 percent of those surveyed do not believe the RIAA's efforts to halt file sharing through lawsuits will benefit musicians and songwriters.


PLEASE READ THE SOURCE

EXCELLENT ARTICLE POSTED BY AARON!

they are supporting an industry that is cutting the artists throats and putting the public in the same position

Good artists support file sharing!

The recording industry is a money machine, it doesnt care about musicians much less their music, it only cares about the revenue it can squeeze out of them slowly and painfully like one of those 20 ft pythons on the discovery channel, or if you are a star wars geek like me, then compare them to the sarlacc; that hideous beast that digests you alive for 1, 000 years til it can not use you anymore. Musicians however, interact with their fans one way or another, so this doesnt surprise me at all, I have always believed that most musicians have always been against law suits. Besides what benefit could a musician gain from a law suit targeted at one of their fans for using p2p.

Most musicians feel that way. I'm sure one of them that doesn't is Ed Robertson of the Bare Naked Ladies. The next article shows his profound stupidity by comparing file sharing to stealing again. What a moron. You can be sure I won't be buying any of HIS music. Oh yeah, he's on an RIAA label. How much did the label pay you to make those statements Mr. Robertson? Either that, or you are just plain stupid.

This is the same as the survey on file sharing....Much like file sharing, people are not going to openly admit something they could get sued for. In this case, artists aren't going to openly endorse something that would get their product boycotted....

I don't doubt that the majority are not openly supporting sueing their customers, but I also don't see any overwhelming opposition to it either.

Rule #1 - Look out for #1
Rule #2 - Don't bite the hand that feeds you
Rule #3 - Always give the public what it wants

I heard Mary Madden spaek on the panel at Future of Music. She's very nice people and Pew Trust is doing good works. I gathered the impression that the Pew proposal was getting its feet wet with the peculiarities of the music business. It's a rats nest to be sure, between the illegal aspects of States' personal servitude contracts, the meltdown of unions and the complexities of splinter exemptions of copyright law. Performers anmd artists have never been allowed to sit at the bargaining table.

I would like to input information to Mary Madden. My take is that major label musicians are in a different world with a whole other set of problems than unaffilated artists.

The confusing results of her surveys in my mind are simply that: apples vs. tennis balls.

Take a poll of songwriters not affilated with ASCAP or under major label contracts, and you'd find a whole different conclusion. This kind of poll results will be trumpeted by incumbents as proof that songwriters have no complaint with the DISTRIBUTORS.

We will petition Congress and make our roar heard: DO NOT STIFLE THE INTERNET ON BEHALF OF THE MINORITY.

"I'm sure one of them that doesn't is Ed Robertson of the Bare Naked Ladies. The next article shows his profound stupidity by comparing file sharing to stealing again. What a moron. You can be sure I won't be buying any of HIS music."

and what, you were going to buy his album to begin with? why? because it's so "real" like all the other RIAA artists?... the bare naked ladies are a cheezy corporate commercial band that come off the assembly line like pepsi bottles. their lyrics were probably constructed using random word generaters because they have no meaning whatsoever. put them up there with britney spears, metallica and american idol. pure crap. any album worth listening to will probably never sell more than 10,000 copies worldwide.

The RIAA stands to benefit the most from the lawsuits, not the artist/musician. The artists/muscians won't see one red cent of any of the settlements the RIAA gets. So, is it really to the benefit of the musician? NO The only thing that will ultimately happen is that sooner or later the artists will get the blame from some people and they won't have these people attending their concerts and other performances. So are the musicians really gaining anything? NOooooo

Bare naked ladies.....another band that used to be fun, but now all they are worried about is money when they are most likely very well off!! ASSHOLES!
You are just insulting people talking down to them from your big ass houses and shit and calling them thieves.

Bare Naked Ladies...I bought their first album. I saw them perform their "single" about chimpanzees on TV. Very strange song. No appeal. I think they played clubs for a long time and therefore "paid their dues". Do they think that since they got a record deal and a couple of hit songs, that the public owes them and should just plunk down their hard-earned cash on trash?

The bare naked ladies started off as a garage band bunch of geeks and I have to say I like their music. It seems to me, though that Ed Robertson has lost touch with his fans. Wait until the record company decides that maybe they won't produce as many units in order to cut back costs and probably cut back on payola payments..so there goes airplay and store sales. Insulting their fans will make people less likely to buy their music or go to their shows. That is how big time artists lose money...arrogance and record label apathy. Maybe then, big Ed might like some coverage (which is free, too) in P2P. Downloading is similar to radio....if your music is good people will want to hear it. P2P can be a valuable advertising medium...and if you dump the label the internet can be a way to distribute too. You would make much more money if you undercut the label middlemen and sell your own music online.

i read the headline..

noooo.. reaally?

musicians dont like the fact that people dont want to buy from their parent corporations because of the transgressions theyve caused?

im shocked!

lol.

Of course we oppose the lawsuits. duh.

(Great post Aaron!)



Shmoo, of Electric Gypsy

"According to the study, 60 percent of those surveyed do not believe the RIAA's efforts to halt file sharing through lawsuits will benefit musicians and songwriters."

But 98% still want our contracts.
hahahahahahaha