Nettwerk Faces Off With RIAA

There are a few people in the music business who “get it”, here’s a big one who does; Nettwerk Music Group from Canada, is going against the nutbars at the RIAA and will represent a girl and her family as well as paying the penalty if it goes that way.

Suing music fans is not the solution, it’s the problem. Litigation is not ‘artist development.’ Litigation is a deterrent to creativity and passion and it is hurting the business I love. The current actions of the RIAA are not in my artists’ best interests.

Very cool. Hopefully, as Michael Geist mentions, this might be the first event that leads to a broader discussion about copyright issues.

We need a real discussion of music in Canada that goes beyond file sharing to include private copying, fair use, the limits on the use of DRM, the transparency of collectives, canadian content requirements in the Internet era, and support for the artists. It is a debate that must include the independent labels who are responsible for 90 percent of new Canadian music, the artists from all perspectives, and user interests. It is a debate that is about much more than file sharing.

Lets hope Canada can come up with something well balanced and intelligent and lead the way, instead of copying the US and follow the companies around like Bulte clearly was planning.