Turn off the music
Posted on: Friday, December 9th, 2005 at 8:16 PMI find this truly horrifying:
‘ The music industry is to extend its copyright war by taking legal action against websites offering unlicensed song scores and lyrics.
The Music Publishers’ Association (MPA), which represents US sheet music companies, will launch its first campaign against such sites in 2006.
MPA president Lauren Keiser said he wanted site owners to be jailed.
He said unlicensed guitar tabs and song scores were widely available on the Internet but were “completely illegal”.
Mr Keiser said he did not just want to shut websites and impose fines, saying if authorities can “throw in some jail time I think we’ll be a little more effective”. ‘
Has it came to the point where creative expression is now going to become outlawed? How many talented people in the industry or those still wishing the musical dream first started out practising to songs, tab, or scores by their influences?
Finding a lot of older song lyrics or music is very hard. Not all musical artists release song books or sheet music, so they simply cant be bought in shops on-line or off-line. That is where I don’t have a problem with people looking on-line for that material.
Obviously there are copyright issues, there always have been, and legally one cant really argue I suppose. but jail terms for punishment? Oh please..
To put someone in jail for downloading guitar tab is horrific, and if this is the kind of thing that is going to happen in music then it is time to stop the music.
Another excuse to gobble up the financial rewards of music ( and very rewarding they are already ) and forgetting about the eclectic tastes of many music lovers/musicians who simply have no access on mainstream record stores on-line/off-line to what their ears enjoy .