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When you see ***** of the World Unite in a headline, it’s usually a joke of some kind.

‘Workers of the World Unite’ was “one of the most famous rallying cries of communism,” says the Wikipedia, and the phrase has been lampooned over and over again.

However, with the first word replaced by ‘Music Lovers’, it’s no joke in 2009 as the entertainment industry, with the major record labels out front, subborns world governments in purely corporate interests.

The Hollywood and Big Music appointee in the British Labour government is ‘lord’ Peter Mandelson — unelected. Rather, he was inserted “by his friend Gordon Brown,” as KevinH points out in a Reader’s Write.

He’s been named Britain’s official government ‘face’ as national elections, expected in spring, approach.

He’s now demanding dictatorial powers to wield against  online music lovers. And if he gets them, it’ll be the thin end of a wedge which will eventually be used every time the government wants something, anything, done without public knowledge or consent.

We can’t let this happen and I’m proposing the formation of a global OMLC – Online Music Lovers Coalition.

Mandelson, Gordon Brown, and every other politician who believes vested corporate interests come before those of the people, must be shown we, and not they, call the shots.

‘The power to do anything’

Secretary of state Peter Mandelson “is planning to introduce changes to the Digital Economy Bill now under debate in Parliament,” said Boingboing yesterday, continuing:

“These changes will give the Secretary of State (Mandelson — or his successor in the next government) the power to make “secondary legislation” (legislation that is passed without debate) to amend the provisions of Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988)”.

That would give an unelected official “the power to do anything without Parliamentary oversight or debate, provided it was done in the name of protecting copyright,” said Cory Doctorow in the post, going on »»»

Mandelson elaborates on this, giving three reasons for his proposal:

1. The Secretary of State would get the power to create new remedies for online infringements (for example, he could create jail terms for file-sharing, or create a “three-strikes” plan that costs entire families their internet access if any member stands accused of infringement)

2. The Secretary of State would get the power to create procedures to “confer rights” for the purposes of protecting rightsholders from online infringement. (for example, record labels and movie studios can be given investigative and enforcement powers that allow them to compel ISPs, libraries, companies and schools to turn over personal information about Internet users, and to order those companies to disconnect users, remove websites, block URLs, etc)

3. The Secretary of State would get the power to “impose such duties, powers or functions on any person as may be specified in connection with facilitating online infringement” (for example, ISPs could be forced to spy on their users, or to have copyright lawyers examine every piece of user-generated content before it goes live; also, copyright “militias” can be formed with the power to police copyright on the web)

“If we can’t stop this, it’s beginning of the end for the net in Britain,” says Cory Doctorow in the Boingboing post, going on »»»

It’s a declaration of war by the entertainment industry and their captured regulators against the principles of free speech, privacy, freedom of assembly, the presumption of innocence, and competition.

This proposal creates the office of Pirate-Finder General, with unlimited power to appoint militias who are above the law, who can pry into every corner of your life, who can disconnect you from your family, job, education and government, who can fine you or put you in jail.

But Britain is only the tip of the iceberg.

This isn’t a local issue, and Mandelson is no more than the UK front man for Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony Music, and Disney, News Corp, Time Warner, Viacom, NBC Universal and Sony Pictures, as they try to use their Three Strikes and you’re Gone scheme to gain control of online product and content distribution by turning governments into copyright agents, the bill footed by local taxpayers, and ISPs into enforcers, acting against their own clients.

Online Music Lovers Coalition

I’m proposing the formation of a global OMLC — Online Music Lovers Coalition — with individual chapters in countries such France, New Zealand, and South Korea where  entertainment cartel lobbyists with unlimited  and financial  and political resources have set up shop, usurping elected administrations.

We can use it to make it clear that in the 21st century our will, and not theirs, is what’s important.

This morning (November 20), at the National Press Theatre, 150 Wellington, Ottawa, at 10:00 am, UK recording artist Billy Bragg will join New Democrat Charlie Angus to “talk about how artists, not corporate lawyers, are taking the lead on establishing basic rules for the development of digital culture online”.

“The internet brings fans and artists closer together than ever before and brings great benefits to both,” said Bragg, a co-founder of the new artists-to-fans-to-artsts site, a2f2a.com. “Let’s not allow the record industry to keep us apart in order to protect their old broken business model.”

Let’s not.

Also present will be the Songwriters Association of Canada’s Don Quarles, and Wide Mouth Mason’s Safwan Javad, who’ll represent the Canadian Music Creators Coalition.

But the most important people of all,  the ones  upon whom everything political, musical, you name it, depends, are missing.

You and I. Because we have no one to represent us.

Corporate corruption is now endemic around the world with industry efforts to gain control of music on the internet only one manifestation of it.

We used to be called the Great Unwashed, the Silent Masses, but thanks to the net, that’s no longer true, and we’re no longer silent.

In the 21st digital century, we have a voice which can’t be ignored. The world is changing and as our online communities continue to grow, our powers of persuasion and our abilities to directly influence actions and events are expanding exponentially.

It’s called People2People Power and no one can stand against it.

Can an Online Music Lovers Coalition be put together?

I believe it can and if you agree, as a first step, no matter what country you’re in, email me at  p2pnet 2 shaw dot ca and let’s see if we can create a working group to hammer out the how-to’s and get the ball rolling.

10 years ago, this could never have happened, but the net is the Great Equaliser, so in the words of John, Paul, George and Ringo, let’s come together.

Right now …

Stay tuned.

Jon Newton – online citizen

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