The Nettwerk Music message
p2p news / p2pnet: Canada’s Nettwerk Music is getting a lot of well-deserved ink and multo bytes for taking on the Big Four record label cartel’s RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).
As Bob Lefset says, "Nettwerk manages such international superstars as Sarah McLachlan, Avril Lavigne and Dido. Along with middle tier acts like the aforementioned Barenaked Ladies, Sum 41 and Jars of Clay. And DEVELOPING acts like Brand New.
"Isn’t this JUST the kind of guy who should be lining up behind Mitch Bainwol and the RIAA? I mean Terry McBride is IN BED with the major labels. Doesn’t Nettwerk function as the A&R for Sony BMG in Canada now?"
He is indeed and the most important aspect of this story is, as Nettwerk itself clearly says, it became involved in the battle against the RIAA, "after 15 year-old Elisa Greubel contacted MC Lars, also a Nettwerk management client, to say that she identified with ‘Download This Song,’ a track from the artist’s latest release.
"In an e-mail to the artist’s web-site, she wrote, ‘My family is one of many seemingly randomly chosen families to be sued by the RIAA. No fun. You can’t fight them, trying could possibly cost us millions. The line ‘they sue little kids downloading hit songs’, basically sums a lot of the whole thing up. I’m not saying it is right to download but the whole lawsuit business is a tad bit outrageous.”
The RIAA has, "continually misused the court and legal system, engaging in misguided litigation tactics for the purpose of extorting settlement amounts from everyday people – parents, students, doctors, and general consumers of music,” says lawyer Charles Lee Mudd, whom Nettwork has retained to help the 15-year-old.
“In doing so, the RIAA has misapplied existing copyright law and improperly employed its protections not as a shield, but as a sword. Many of the individuals targeted by the RIAA are not the ‘thieves’ the RIAA has made them out to be.
"Moreover, individual defendants typically do not have the resources to mount a full-fledged defensive campaign to demonstrate the injustice of the RIAA’s actions."
You can ask Patti Santangelo about that.
Meanwhile, what’s the real message in this tale? If you want action, go to the people who really do care about what happens to music lovers.
The performers themselves.
You can ask MC Lars about that —– which we’re in the process of doing.
The other message is:
Just because a large, multi-national music companyworks directly with the members of the Big Four record label cartel (EMI, Warner Music, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG), it doesn’t automatically means it’s infected with the Big Four’s warped morals.
Also See:
IN BED – Nettwerk Music fights the RIAA, January 27, 2006
ask Patti Santangelo – Patti Santangelo fights on, January 27, 2006
January 28th, 2006 at 11:28 pm
This is a tremendous development, one that just might persuade the mainstream media to stop pushing the RIAA spin without questioning the merits of their claims. This essentially means “one of their’s” is no longer buying into the strongarm tactics and understands this is not the way to consumers’ wallets.
January 29th, 2006 at 2:05 am
Messege to Netwerk:
I’ll buy more of your artist’s music provided that none of my money goes to RIAA members.
Well done on taking a stand on principal – there are more people out there who respect you than you know.
February 2nd, 2006 at 6:17 am
I totally agree – I dont buy music and haven’t since that idiot-group metallica (a group I bought a few cd’s of in the past) started the napster garbage… I have not bought a single cd since…. .and prior to this story, had NO plan to…
Now, I want a list of all Nettwerk artists and their websites – I will make a few purchases in support of the artists.. preferably buying them through paypal ON the artists site (or Nettwerk’s)….
Damn nice to feel supported, to some extent!
Just my 10 cents,
_-Jile-_
February 2nd, 2006 at 6:38 am
I grabbed the names off the Netwerk’s homepage for their artists – SUPPORT these artists!
Abigail Washburn
Adrienne Pierce
Alex Lloyd
Alpha
Amy Correia
Andy Creeggan
Andy Hunter
Autour De Lucie
Avia
Avril Lavigne
Badmarsh & Shri
Barenaked Ladies
Bel Canto
Bertine
Bill Pritchard
Boxcar
Brainbox
Brothers And Systems
BT
Butterfly Boucher
By Divine Right
Chantal Kreviazuk
Childman
Chris And Cosey
Chulo Pony
Compilations
Conjure One
Consolidated
Coralie Clement
David Gray
David Mead
David Sinclair
David Usher
Dayna Manning
Delerium
Departure Lounge
Dido
Dieselboy
Download
Dusted
Erin McKeown
Evolution
Falling Joys
FC Kahuna
Five For Fighting
Flannel Jimmy
Foghorn Stringband
Front 242
Fussible
Gabriel & Dresden
ginger
Gob
Griffin House
Groove Armada
Hackensaw Boys
Halou
Hilt
Itch
Ivy
Izdatso
Jack Harlan
Jars of Clay
Jazzupstarts
Jenifer McLaren
Jet Set Satellite
Jimmy Eat World
John Mann
Josh Rouse
Junior Jack
Karin Strom
Keith LeBlanc
Kevin Hearn & Thin Buckle
Kinky
Kirsty Hawkshaw
K-Rec
Lava Hay
Le Duc
Lester
Lilith Fair
Lily Frost
Luce
Madredeus
Manufacture
Marc Moulin
Maren Ord
Margaret Cho
Mark Makoway
Martina Sorbara
MC 900 Ft. Jesus
Mediaeval Baebes
Moev
Moist
Moka Only
Mouth Music
Mudgirl
Mystery Machine
NatarajXT
Nathan
Neil Finn
Oh Susanna
Old Crow Medicine Show
Organic Audio
Panurge
Papa Brittle
Paul van Dyk
Peace Love And Pitbulls
Pezz (early Billy Talent)
Plump DJs
Po’ Girl
Povi
P.O.W.E.R.
Ralph
Ron Sexsmith
Rose Chronicles
Sarah McLachlan
Seafood
Sean MacDonald
Sense Field
Severed Heads
Shelley Campbell
Shirley Bassey
Single Gun Theory
Sixpence None The Richer
Skinny Puppy
Sounds From The Ground
Soundtracks
SPK
State Radio
Stereophonics
String Cheese Incident
Sully
Sum 41
Suzanne Little
Swollen Members
Tackhead
Tara MacLean
Taste Of Joy
Tekla
Telefuzz
The Aquanettas
The Be Good Tanyas
The Brothers Creeggan
The Clumsy Lovers
The Devlins
The Final Cut
The Finn Brothers
The Grassy Knoll
The Hermit
The Ids
The Perishers
The Proclaimers
The Tear Garden
The Verbrilli Sound
The Water Walk
Tiesto
Tom McRae
Tom Third
Treble Charger
Trespassers William
Ups And Downs
Utah Saints
Way Out West
Weed
Wild Strawberries
WJC
Just my 10 cents!
_-Jile-_
February 2nd, 2006 at 8:10 am
http://www.myspace.com/mclars
I just listened to the song the young girl had emailed about “download this song”.. you can hear it on the above noted page… funny with a ring of trueness to it.