p2p news / p2pnet: The CRIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association of America) seriously embarrassed itself and its owners, the members of the Big Four Organized Music cartel, through a virtual blue-on-blue resulting from a Pollara study which failed to prove that p2p is "devastating" the corporate music industry.

Instead, the CRIA’s own research, "now concludes that P2P downloading constitutes less than one-third of the music on downloaders’ computers, that P2P users frequently try music on P2P services before they buy, that the largest P2P downloader demographic is also the largest music buying demographic, and that reduced purchasing has little to do with the availability of music on P2P services," Canadian Net and copyright expert Dr Michael Geist stressed.

Now the CRIA’s submission to the CRTC’s Commercial Radio Review may go down as one of its biggest blunders, says Geist.

Following the Pollara disaster, there was even more dramatic fallout.

"Six major Canadian independent music labels – Anthem, Acquarius, The Children’s Group, Linus Entertainment, Nettwerk, and True North Records – all pulled out of CRIA, citing differences with the CRTC submission," says Geist.

Nettwerk Music’s Terry McBride has already upset the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) by promising to pay the legal expenses for a family in Texas being sued by the RIAA. p2pnet readers are also trying to help a New York, mother, Patti Santangelo, by contributing defence money.

p2pnet recently spoke with McBride and will shortly feature a Q&A with Steven Page of Nettwerk artists Barenaked Ladies.

Meanwhile, "The Canadian labels do not disguise their disagreement with the association that purports to represent the Canadian music industry," says Geist. "Choice quotes from the letter, which was copied to the CRTC, Canadian Heritage Minister Bev Oda, and senior Heritage officials, include:

"… it has become increasingly clear over the past few months that CRIA’s position on several important music industry issues are not aligned with our best interests as independent recording companies" and "we do not feel that we can remain members [of CRIA] given CRIA’s decision to advocate solely on behalf of the four major foreign multi-national labels."

The independent labels note that if CRIA’s proposals are implemented, they’d, "have a material negative effect on the future growth of Canadian independent music."

The short term consequence is the indies want the CRIA to clarify to the CRTC those artists that are produced by independent labels yet identified as CRIA artists and calculated in CRIA market share.

But, "The longer term consequences are even more important," Geist adds. The, "CRIA is governed by a five member board consisting of President Graham Henderson and representatives from the four major foreign labels. As CRIA increasingly battles artists and collectives on private copying as well as Canadian recording labels on approaches to promote Canadian music, it will become increasingly that CRIA does not speak for the Canadian music industry. It is time for policy makers and government leaders to see CRIA for what it is – a copyright lobby group that represents the interests of foreign corporations.

"The impact of the CRTC submission will linger long after the radio review hearings conclude next month."

Also See:
virtual blue-on-blue – CRIA own goal, says Gartner, April 13, 2006
Geist – Removing the C from CRIA, April 12, 2006
promising to pay – Suing music fans is crazy, January 31, 2006
trying to help – RIAA targets Santangelo’s kids, February 16, 2006
spoke with McBride – p2pnet talks to Nettwerk Music, February 14, 2006

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 13th, 2006 at 8:55 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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