Bands form organization to push for control over copyright, transparency from labels

Posted by aubin on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 5:00 PM (EDT)

Billy Bragg, Radiohead, Gang of Four, The Cribs, Klaxons and others have formed the Featured Artists Coalition. The goal of the group is to push for more control of copyrights and a bigger share of revenue for artists rather than the labels.

The group states their manifesto: No one knows what the structure of the music industry will look like in future. But all artists face the same challenges in today's digital world, so we need to speak with one voice to help artists strike a new bargain with record companies, digital distributors and others. Together, the Featured Artists' Coalition will stand up for all artists by engaging with government, music and technology companies, and collection societies, arguing for fair play and, where necessary, exposing unfair practices.

You can find more information here.

Bands in this story

Games and Technology (69 comments)

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Banal242 (October 7, 2008)

The RIAA will tell you artists what is best for you.

actually_OFFENDS_me (October 7, 2008)

Another thing that actually OFFENDS me, which is hard to to these days, are the people who are pissed that musicians make money. The strange, slow, old people on punknews.org and the few annoying stragglers on this website.

edgelife (October 7, 2008)

well played.

MrStylson (October 7, 2008)

The statement wasn't very clear. Are they against lawsuits over downloading, or do they just want a bigger chunk of the settlement checks?

badbrain (October 7, 2008)

yes

Dante3000 (rich) (October 7, 2008)

Unions are unAmerican.
-Dante

MrStylson (October 7, 2008)

I know most of the punk community are huge fans of unions, but they're only a good thing until they get too powerful themselves. The UAW in MI is a perfect example of the Union just trying to get more and more until the companies can't actually afford to stay in town anymore.

crackpotdemagogue (October 7, 2008)

are you fucking kidding me? what is this? conservativeprick.com?

mikexdude (October 7, 2008)

What is this? Insulteveryonewithdifferentopinionsthanyounews.org

crackpotdemagogue (October 7, 2008)

there is opinion on one hand, and self oppressive idiocy on the other. one breaks of your hand it is so heavy, and the other doesn't even exist.

mikexdude (October 7, 2008)

Don't go quoting Anti-Flag on me.

crackpotdemagogue (October 7, 2008)

haha, come one, it wasn't nearly that bad was it?

MrStylson (October 7, 2008)

I'm in no way saying that workers shouldn't be unionized and should accept oppression, but like everything else, the unions need to understand a level of moderation, or the funds will eventually dry up.

MrStylson (October 7, 2008)

I'm not kidding. And I'm in no way conservative.

But the situation with auto workers was fueled, in part, by the UAW constantly pushing for higher and higher wages and benefits. Many of these people were getting paid $25 an hour for unskilled labor.

Now, I'm not saying the unions had everything to do with it, but they went against their worker's actual best interests. The workers were overpaid, and the company wasn't making any money. So the company wanted to reduce their wages down to more reasonable levels (still well above $15 an hour).

I agree that it sucks to get a pay cut, but the workers need to realize that the work they were doing shouldn't have ever paid that much to begin with. You can work in a warehouse doing the same level of work and not make $8 an hour, or get unionized and make 4 times that amount.

MrStylson (October 7, 2008)

Also, this is in no way me claiming that $8 an hour is a decent wage. It isn't. But if a company doesn't have the money to pay its workers, it can't just keep paying them.

The unions in Flint (these are the ones I saw in my day to day life) basically told GM "keep our wages artificially high or else we won't work". Eventually GM had enough.

MrStylson (October 7, 2008)

I seem to use the phrase "in no way" far too much. Oops.

crackpotdemagogue (October 7, 2008)

i see the point you are making. sorry for the conservative jibe, i feel bad about that now. haha. i thnk ultimatley the problem you are describing is something we will be seeing alot more of in the next 18 months or so... we are looking at potential economic depression, and in those circumstances there is a total conflict between companies whos assets are shrinking and workers who are struggling to make ends meet and who need more cash. this is the reality of capitalism in crisis unfortunatley and i wouldnt blame it on the unions. it's all part of the bigger picture that begun back with reagan and the dawning of the neo-liberal era

MrStylson (October 7, 2008)

I completely agree that they aren't the absolute cause of this problem, but the companies and the unions need to work together to find amicable solutions. The unions get created to keep the companies' greed in check, and the worst thing they could do is become greedy themselves.

ConsumedByMusic (October 7, 2008)

atoms atoms atoms!

You can't treat the working man this way. One day, we'll form a union and get the fair and equitable treatment we deserve! Then we'll go too far, and get corrupt and shiftless, and the Japanese will eat us alive!

Preston (October 7, 2008)

I think unions are a good idea, but if we hold corporations to such strong anti-trust laws, why do we have pan-company/industrial unions like UAW. Every worker has the right to keep competitive within his/her industry, but if everyone's the same in the same in that industry all the time...your industry is fucked.

PoliticsOfStarving (October 8, 2008)

Oh yeah, I'm an occupational health and safety officer here in Australia. One of the things you'll find with unions is that they barge their way onto the site and they start creating hazards so that the site needs to be closed for risk assessment AGAIN. All while the workers get paid to wait for another risk assessment.

Then they physically threaten you and your family if you tell them to stop.

Fucking pricks.

eran_zombis (October 7, 2008)

Fire 'em all when they get in the way.

beerspitandblood (October 7, 2008)

dillinger 4 "c i v i l w a r" full stream on their myspae.

don't close the tab

MattRamone (October 7, 2008)

Make sure to photocopy the receipt and send copies to Fat Mike and Scooter.

LinoleumMagazine (October 7, 2008)

when are we gonna get a stream of the new Dead To Me?

Nameless (October 7, 2008)

Backed! Más Dead to Me, por favor.

the_creeps (October 7, 2008)

A noble effort, but try telling this to Sony, EMI, Universal, and Warner

shot_in_the_dark (October 7, 2008)

Those will all be irrelevant soon enough.

Guy_Incognito (October 8, 2008)

Haha, you wish.

Where there's a market and money to be made, there will always be the big players. They'll simply find a different way to generate a revenue stream.

You still don't realize the BASIC role that record label fill in this industry. There whole reason for being is to act as investors in new bands. As long as money has the ability to give an advantage to an artist, you will see these players or ones like them. They exist because they have money to spend and new artists usually need that investment in order to record and promote themselves. It's amazing how few people realize this basic fundamental of the artist/label relationship. Record labels are just music investors at the most basic level.

Furthermore, If they can't make money selling music because of some new change in how we consume music, they'll just find another way to setup a revenue stream.

They already have.
1) Ringtones
2) Licensing and Alternative Media (Guitar Hero, Rock Band...)
3) "360" deals

Bow down to the law of unintended consequences:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/arts/music/11lee d.html

For some reason, people refuse to acknowledge the evolutionary nature of the market. If you put up a road block, companies will just invent a better bulldozer.

Bipedcasserole (October 7, 2008)

billy bragg should just eat radiohead when they're not looking

acris (October 7, 2008)

as much as I want this to succeed, I have a feeling it's not going to

MattRamone (October 7, 2008)

There's a reason only hacks like Pete Wentz end up making better businessmen than musicians.

wolfshirt (October 7, 2008)

Down with black eyeshadow, the workers unite!

MattRamone (October 7, 2008)

You have nothing to lose but the Black Parade!

inb4 an hero

wolfshirt (October 7, 2008)

In 1649, to St. George's Hill
A ragged band they called Panic! at the Disco came to show the people's will

Wentz_Equals_Death (October 7, 2008)

guttermouth's "live at the pharmacy" is sweet

JayTee (October 7, 2008)

Wow. That takes me back. Great versions of all their old shit. "Pot" is my favorite followed by "Where was I?".

Every bonus track kicked ass too.

pufferfish (October 7, 2008)

You speak the truth.

WYOR (October 7, 2008)

Anybody else here major in History?
I'm not too sure what I would do with a degree in History, but damn I love the classes.

mikexdude (October 7, 2008)

Teacher? Historian?

WYOR (October 7, 2008)

i was thinking about being a teacher, I'd love to teach high school history.
Those were the best teachers. I had a teacher who called one of my friends a rat bastard in the middle of class.

mikexdude (October 7, 2008)

Try and intern at a close by school.

WYOR (October 7, 2008)

im just gonna add that in high school, I loved the punk rock history teachers. There was one guy who loved naked raygun, so me and my friends would walk by his room every morning singing different raygun songs.
I hope one day to have students like that.

TrueBeliever (October 7, 2008)

I major in Communications, but that got me curious, what's everybodys major?

WYOR (October 7, 2008)

I was a communications major, but I'm switching over to history because I find it more interesting.

Timorous_Me (October 7, 2008)

English. I graduate this Decemember and don't know what I'll do next. I know the obvious answer is to teach, but I've been teaching for four years and I think I've had enough!

Nameless (October 7, 2008)

Social Science, unaffiliated. But, next quarter, provided I don't mess up in my Spanish class this quarter, I'm switching over to Spanish. It's really the only subject I've ever liked and one I want to continue learning about.

ConsumedByMusic (October 7, 2008)

there's probably a lot of money to be made in the US to be made in supporting spanish-english understanding. I live in so cal and i think it's appalling that we don't make kids take at least some spanish starting at the elementary level.

it's just a scheme to keep the latin american immigrants socially isolated from our kids so they can grow up without any understand of them.

Nameless (October 7, 2008)

I think a lack of funds has a lot to do with it. I know my younger brother's Spanish program got cut and he's in middle school. It's sad considering all the studies that show that it helps to start early when it comes to learning another language.

ConsumedByMusic (October 7, 2008)

I was a political science and economics double major. unfortunately, i graduated and entered the real world which blows.

canaandrumzz (October 7, 2008)

Global Affairs

Wentz_Equals_Death (October 7, 2008)

i was an art major w/ sociology minor

art >

b0cephus (October 7, 2008)

I have a buddy who was a history major over at Cal Poly. He now lives the dream delivering pizza, same career path he was on before college.

jacknife737 (October 7, 2008)

History/politics major here. I'd rather spend the "best years of my life" doing/learning about something that I love, then some soul crushing business course.

And although i'm probably going on to Law School, there are way more careers for history major's then the standard responses, ie "teaching". Quite a lot of history majors go into the publishing industry; or also archival work, ect, ect. When you're near graduation, go have a chat with your schools career office, they are more helpful then people realize (at least mine was).

Do you have an area of interest? Mine right now is early modern Europe, although i tend to drift into the "modern era" a bit.

WYOR (October 7, 2008)

right now most of my classes are pre-civil war america and early modern europe.
My favorite professor is all about medieval Europe, so I'm pretty much takin a bunch of those

dlangl4 (October 7, 2008)

Haha. I took a bunch of classes from my two favorite teachers in college, and they almost exclusively taught about Asia and Indian in both political science and history, so that's what I know a lot about. My favorite class though was strictly about globalization. That shit is confusing.

dlangl4 (October 7, 2008)

Let me know if you go to Baylor for Law School. When are you graduating?

jacknife737 (October 7, 2008)

Class of 2010. But i'm Canadian, so i'll probably be sticking in my home and native land, but if i do, i'll let you know.

dlangl4 (October 7, 2008)

I majored in history and political science. Have you already graduated? I plan on teacher college or above at some point in my life, and definitely after I retire from my real job.

I don't want to teach political science or history though. I want to teach my own course. How about you?

fallingupwards84 (October 7, 2008)

me

i'm going to have my master's thesis completed in May and then its off to a doctoral program

dlangl4 (October 7, 2008)

The word "thesis" gives me the chills. I'm so glad I didn't go to graduate school.

jacknife737 (October 7, 2008)

What's the topic of your thesis?

fallingupwards84 (October 8, 2008)

i'm showing that the black experience in the northeastern corner of colonial North Carolina between the 1680s and 1729 was vastly different and offered blacks a greater degree of agency and autonomy than their Virginia neighbors to the north (who they are too often compared to)

it might not be the sexiest topic on the planet, but i'm really excited about it because very little has been written about it, and yet, i've found a plethora of sources that point exactly in that direction. if i broaden it out a little more, i may have a future book on my hands haha

eran_zombis (October 7, 2008)

History degrees are worthwhile - they demonstrate ability to write effectively and think critically, which is a very important and rare skill. Law school is a possible path, or you could be one of those people that analyzes data and writes reports. There are lots of reports to write.

consider_the_ravens (October 7, 2008)

This sounds like a damn good idea

eran_zombis (October 7, 2008)

There is power in a union; please give me more money:

10/21 Broken Social Scene
10/24 World/Inferno Friendship Society, The Max Levine Ensemble
10/25 Dillinger Four, NoFX, Teenage Bottlerocket, Fake Problems
10/29 Bouncing Souls, Strike Anywhere
11/3 H2O, Bane (lol)
11/4 Strike Anywhere election night party
11/5 Broadway Calls
11/6 Bridge & Tunnel, The Measure
11/7 Murder by Death, William Elliott Whitmore
11/10 Conor Oberst
... and 12/7 Off With Their Heads

any other doozies in Richmond/DC area?

baldsteve (October 7, 2008)

Off With Their Heads are 3 days in a row in the area.

Guy_Incognito (October 8, 2008)

Beware the Law of Unintended Consequences.

This is what happens when labels can no longer make money on simply selling music alone:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/arts/music/11leed.htm l

If artists push for a legislative solution to increasing their share of album revenue and copyright control, they are going to create an artificial inefficiency in the market that will lead to more crap like this.

Legislating the outcomes they want isn't going to work. How many times do you have to read about unintended consequences in history to realize that you can't legislate your way into the optimal market condition?

Famous examples:
1) Gas Price Controls in the 70's led to gas shortages at the pump
2) Congress pushing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into subprime loans so that low income people could afford housing led to bad debts that spurred the financial crisis.
3) CAFE standards led to the SUV boom of the 90's and the delince of the Big 3 and loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs due to those companies being forced to make cars that nobody wanted to buy at $1.00 per gallon gas.

I'm not saying that the government shouldn't regulate in order to control externalities. I'm just saying that they are notorious for not considering potential unintended consequences.

What these artists should be pushing for is TRANSPARENCY so that artists are capable of making self optimizing decisions. Transparency is the ultimate way of making sure that markets function efficiently. It's what we didn't have on mortgage backed securities and why banks simply won't lend to each other right now. Transparency is one of the things you can legislate without creating undesireable inefficiencies.