Open letter to Featured Artists’ Coalition
Dear (please see below):
The chances of Britain’s Labour government retaining power in the upcoming elections are zero. It tries to present itself as forward-looking and progressive, but its continuing efforts to promote corporate entertainment industry interests above those of the people plainly demonstrate it has no clue about what’s happening in the digital 21st century, or how to function within it.
Your members, as well as artists from around the world, must make it clear to your fans, the people who keep you going, that you absolutely will not countenance the government-backed corporate Three Strikes scheme to turn them into criminals.
“The inaugural meeting of the U.K.’s Featured Artists’ Coalition (FAC) in London resulted in a unanimous vote among its members against any measures that criminalize file-sharing,” said Billboard in March, going on »»»
As well as discussing the general aims and logistics of the new body, there was also a unanimous show of hands against the idea of criminalizing file-sharers, according to those present.
There was concern about any legal body taking action against fans who were involved in file-sharing and preventing them getting broadband access to be informed about the activities of their favorite acts.
Today, still quoting Billboard, I posted on a2f2.com which, not at all incidentally, is short for artists-to-fans-to-artists »»»
The issue came up as artists discussed a planned response to the forthcoming Digital Britain report, the interim version of which has proposed a Rights Agency to enforce anti-piracy measures. In France, legislation is being debated to bring in a three-strikes system to potentially cut off broadband connections for those who infringe copyright – a measure to which the FAC is opposed.
Then, six months later, from the FAC »»»
Our meeting … voted overwhelmingly to support a three-strike sanction on those who persistently download illegal files, sanctions to consist of a warning letter, a stronger warning letter and a final sanction of the restriction of the infringer’s bandwidth to a level which would render file-sharing of media files impractical while leaving basic email and web access functional.
What an about-face.
All of the attention is presently on Britain but, as I’ve said many times before, the Three Strikes plan is international with Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony Music, and Disney, News Corp, Time Warner, Viacom, NBC Universal and Sony Pictures, trying to foist it on governments around the world.
I believe artists — the FAC in particular — must come out firmly and definitely against the Three Strikes farce.
So please, hold another emergency meeting and this time, return to your original position.
It’ll take cojones, but it’ll be the strategically and tactically smart thing to do.
Even if it’s adopted, three strikes won’t last. Anywhere. It can’t.
And the backlash against anyone who supports it will be enormous.
We love you. But do you love us?
Show us you do.
Jon Newton – music fan
______________________________________________
Tim Rice-Oxley (Keane)
Jamie Turner
Adriano Buffone (Raygun)
Allan Bradbury
Helienne Lindvall
Tony Crean
Andrew Laidlaw (Luck Soul)
Isard Haasakker
Tony Morrelli (The Fire Escapes)
Jean-Baptiste Pilon (The Fire Escapes)
Mark Headley (The Fire Escapes)
Hal Ritson (The Young Punx)
Billy Bragg
Ben Ward
Karl Harrison
Howard Jones
Tjinder Singh (Cornershop)
Phil Simpson
Atheen
Steve Jones
John Reynolds
Sandie Shaw (via phone)
David Rowntree (Blur)
Ed O’Brien (Radiohead)
Alan Sharland (The Hoosiers)
Martin Skarendahl (The Hoosiers)
Steven Hogarth (Marillion)
Mark Kelly (Marillion)
Guy Chambers
Patrick Wolf
Sam Duckworth (Get Cape Wear Cape Fly)
Jamie Allen
Toby Sebastian
James Kelly
Beryl Marsden
George Jones
Ross Millard (The Futureheads)
Stax Dempsey
Rona Sentinar
Fran Healy (Travis)
Karl Addy
Nathan Taylor (The Young Punx)
Josh Allegro
Ali Howard (Lucky Soul)
David Arnold
Lucy Pullin (The Fire Escapes)
Annie Lennox (via phone)
Lily Allen (Not a Member of the FAC)
George Michael
Nick Mason (Pink Floyd)
Signed After the meeting;
The Music Producers Guild
John B
Claudia Brucken (Propaganda)
Rick Wilde
Zita McHugh
M B Gordy
Mohammed Yahya
Jon Hopkins
Barry Coffing
Vinny Peculiar
David Ravden
Nik Ledgard (Dry Riser)
Matthew Lintott (Dry Riser)
Pete Bembridge (Dry Riser)
Jack Oram (Dry Riser)
Chad Mcloughlin
Gina Langton
Tony Christie
Sean Fitzgerald
Irving David (DWFM Beckman)
Julianne Reagan (All About Eve)
Stuart Ongley (SGO Publishing)
Judy Dyble
Jonas Kroon
Irwin Sparkes (The Hoosiers)
Robbie Williams
Robert Vale
Jerry Vale
David Cloyd
Rob Boyd (The Hillfields)
Sharon Corr
George Sarah
Bob Hansmann
Rich Wilde
Milinda Allen
Dr Robert (The Blow Monkeys)
Dirk Henry (The Kokoon)
Ben Beer (Sealife)
Chris White (Composer)
Producers Managers Group (PMG)
Marco Pirroni
Brian Campbell (Clinic)
Morty Buffham (Manager of UK Heights)
Andrew Kremer (Composer)
Sharon Dean (Respect Music)
Sarah McQuaid
Gary Clark (Artist, songwriter, producer)|
Marc Marot (Manager)
Keith A. Newstead
Blake Morgan (Engine company Records)
Tom Green (’Another Fine Day’)
Neil Preston (MP Records)
John Verity
Bart Schram (Mindgames)
Koen Gisen (An Pierlé & White Velvet)
Darren Hayes (Savage Garden)
Scott Coe (The Haunted Aquarium)
Miranda Dickinson
Noora Noor
Ali Hakimi (Bush Studios)
Colin MacIntyre (Mull Historical Society)
Rik Hudson (Violet Bones)
David Blake (JFXmusic)
Jo Hilditch (Hilda)
Alastair Blackwood (Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Oscar Mancino
Kevin Hewick
Sean Genockey (Music Producer)
Sam Obernik
Patrick Weyland-Smith (Patrick And The Deep End)
Matthew Lee (Lapskin)
Colin Waterson
Simon Emmerson (The Imagined Village)
Helge Krabye (Homeless Balloon)
Terence McLeod
Fiona Branson
Jake Morley
Jon Attwood (Yellow6)
Adam Donen
Matthew Seligman
Alex Callier (Hooverphonic)
James Reynolds (Public Symphony)|
Dobs Vye (Public Symphony)
Benjamin Evans (Deal Maker Records)
Lyndon Coyne (Bandito Records)
Sofia Hagberg (End of the Road Festival)
James Blunt
Findlay Brown
Brad Rabuchin
KT Tunstall
Kelly Dickson (Mamafeelgood)
Curtis Roush (Film Music Producer)
Mark Muggeridge (Journalist and artist manager)
Sandy Dworniak (This Much Talent)
Tom Jones
Amy Studt
Sam Hammond (Ten Bears)
Russell Lewis Warby (William Morris Endeavor Entertainment)
Carlos Ruivo
David Gilmour
Jools Holland
Ulrich Schnauss
Ken Andrew (Middle of the Road)
Joseph Mount (Metronomy)
Luke Soloman (Freaks)
Tom Shore (Britten Sinfonia)
Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys)
Chris Lowe (Pet Shop Boys)
Kirsty Hawkshaw
Glenn Tipton (Judas Priest)
Rob Halford (Judas Priest)
Jayne Andrews (manager for Judas Priest)
Gill Vance (singer/songwriter)
Simon Reid & Louise Stanners (Reid & Stanners)
James Carrington
Tim McConway (Booger Red/The Lunar Society)
James Mathe (Monasteryo)John (JJ) Johnson
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Billboard – Featured Artists Opposed To Cutting Off File-Sharers, March 12, 2009
November, 2009
Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It’s really easy!
Subscribe to p2pnet.net | | rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php
Net access blocked by government restrictions? Use Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Go here for details.
The FAC was formed to give artists a collective voice to campaign for effective laws and regulations, as well as transparent and equitable business practices.
As well as discussing the general aims and logistics of the new body, there was also a near-unanimous show of hands against the idea of criminalizing file-sharers, according to those present. There was concern about any legal body taking action against fans who were involved in file-sharing and preventing them getting broadband access to be informed about the activities of their favorite acts.
The issue came up as artists discussed a planned response to the forthcoming Digital Britain report, the interim version of which has proposed a Rights Agency to enforce anti-piracy measures. In France, legislation is being debated to bring in a three-strikes system to potentially cut off broadband connections for those who infringe copyright – a measure to which the FAC is opposed.
Related Articles
Del.Icio.Us this! | Digg this! | Reddit this! | Stumble this!
No comments yet