John Perry Barlow on RIAA v Tenenbaum
p2pnet news view P2P | RIAA News:- The Joel Tenebaum vs the RIAA case is far from being the first to be reported widely, but it’s fast becoming one of the most famous, largely because Harvard law professor Charles Nesson, who once suggested the music industry should take a hike, and his team of law students are representing Joel.
Former Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow (right) is one of the people contributing his thoughts, reports Recording Industry vs The People.
He’s also vice-chairman of the board of directors at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which he co-founded in 1990, and in SONY BMG Music Entertainment v Tenenbaum states P2P technology helps to answer a fundamental human need — to be able to share with each other.
He declares »»»
Given my personal experiences in the music industry, and my position as a public intellectual in discourse on copyright, music, and technology, I am able to testify about the historical context of the recording industry’s anti-file sharing campaign, its larger merits and shortcomings, and the social implications of litigation such as that before this court.
I am, in particular, aware of how the economics of ‘file sharing’ can work to the great benefit of musicians and creators. The Grateful Dead allowed our fans to tape concerts, essentially giving our musical way for ‘free’.
In doing so, we may have invented a viral marketing, solving and advertising problem at our record companies were never able to address them becoming enormously successful in the process.
- I will testify that the Internet, and peer-to-peer technology in particular, allow us to do that which we, as humans, fundamentally need to do: share.
- I will explain how digital technology has finally freed us from the physical medium of CDs and other increasingly antiquated mediums, how this conversion challenges conventional applicationand why this natural evolution should be welcomed.
- I will testify that the music industry will never be in danger because, the reasons which I would not presume to know with certainty, we as humans absolutely require music, and because in the music business as I know it, familiarity, not scarcity, creates value.
- I will explain why this means that the industry surrounding music will never cease to exist in some form.
- will explain that the online world presents us with a ‘ gift economy,’m where no moral blameworthiness attaches to non-commercial sharing, and I will explain why this does not threaten the music industry.
- I will testify that the recording industry is complicit in allowing itself to hold on to antiquated business models rather than just to the changing landscape around them.
- I will explain why the recording industry must evolve and why it is improper for the industry to attempt to institutionalise stagnation through their litigation and legislation efforts.
[Note - Paragraph and sentence breaks (and typos 
) are mine.]
Jon Newton – p2pnet
April, 2009
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April 11th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Good man too, been familiar to me for what? 8-10 years now?
Many things people have in common and share. THE corporates lost ocntrol and htis is there way to try and reign YOU AL IN.
DONT GIVE UP .
MEW MEW
April 12th, 2009 at 10:07 am
The only sad part in those points and one that i am hoping he is wrong about:
“I will explain why this means that the industry surrounding music will never cease to exist in some form”
if by industry he means the labels… thats horrorable, i’ve kept aside 4 bottles of bubbly each to be opened when one of the big four die… and they HAVE to go, for the good of humanity.
On the other hand, if he means the industry as a whole (ie artists/musicians etc) I couldnt agree with him more, people were making music hundreds (if not thousands) of years before the labels and will continue to do so well after I dance on most of those corporate asshole’s graves.
Cheers!
Ryan
http://www.eZee.se
P.S Happy Easter guys (and girls!)
April 13th, 2009 at 7:40 am
I agree, I have no compunction to devalue music as an entertainment avenue. I do have a highly motivated urge to slit the throat of the money grubbing fucking assholes that are between the music and the public. THEY are the problem, and need to die a slow and painful death, allowing consumers to revitalize their individual enjoyment of music, where the MUSICIAN gets paid, not some 400lb dinosaur skimming off the top that does nothing, offers no service, and basically is the cancer in the current music industry’s core.
I ONLY find avenues for my music consumption that if label backed, are free, or if indie, then a way I can pay the artist.
eat shit and die RIAA.