Fighting for A Bigger Piece of the Digital Pie
Will American music artists follow the Brits?
According to a new report, some of Britain's biggest music stars have banded together to demand greater control over their music in the digital age.
No surprise, online savvy Radiohead is one of the 60 founding members of the "Featured Artists' Coalition."
The mission of the coalition is:
"the protection of performers' and musicians' rights. We want all artists to have more control of their music and a much fairer share of the profits it generates in the digital age. We speak with one voice to help artists strike a new bargain with record companies, digital distributors and others, and are campaigning for specific changes."
Radiohead's co-manager told the media, "It is time for artists to have a strong collective voice to stand up for their interests. The digital landscape is changing fast and new deals are being struck all the time, but all too often without reference to the people who actually make the music."
The group has planned an official launch event in the north England music hub (and home of Oasis) Manchester on Sunday.
[Image via AP Photo.]
Oprah Got Served
Saint Carlos
I don't care, i'm going to find my free music somewhere and somehow
Re: HAHAlewzers –
ur a douche
Radiohead fucking wishes they had a decent song that people wanted to fucking buy. They suck balls imo, haven't had a good song since Creep.
overpaid whiny pathetic artists make me SICK
I BUY MUSIC ON ITUNES BECAUSE I LIKE THE MUSIC. IT IS A CHOICE I MAKE. IT IS ENTERTAINMENT. NOT A NECESSITY! IF MUSICIANS GET EVEN ONE MORE IOTA GREEDIER I WILL "CHOOSE" NOT TO BUY ANY OF THE MUSIC. I DON'T HAVE TO HAVE MUSIC TO LIVE. I WILL NOT GIVE IN TO GREED AND POWER WHORES EVER!
Many artists claim that they are "In it for their fans". This confirms that they have lost sight of their original interests and motives for making music and are now motivated solely by monetary means. Hypocritical much?
The artists have a point. Record companies used to promote, and press the discs, this is becoming ever more unnecessary in the digital age. Id like to see the day when artists distribute digital music from their own sites and charge maybe 10c/p for a song, and get it all. No need for money hungry labels or services in it purely for money and self promotion like itunes.
Re: Melissa is always right – Funny i remember In Rainbows being number one in the US and UK, despite being free for the first week and those sales not counting.
Doing what they are doing will mean a wider variety of music being available to all, not just what the record companys think they can hype up and sell to us, whether its crap or not, which most chart music is.
Thesimple fact is if you look at the list of best rated music, its rarely the same as the best selling, simply because its not the sort of music the labels can force down your throat on radio or on TV.
Why don't musicians get over it? Music artistry as a career is over as we know it. Thank God no more overpaid, undertalented musicians. The ones that truly are talented will have to work hard like the rest of the world and figure out an innovative way to sell…make yourself a brand.
i thpught id comment here because this post mentions manchester, the est city in the world