A small independent record label owned by bluegrass musician David Grisman has filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, Napster, and other digital media stores as well as the Big 4 record labels that carry the label's catalogue of tracks.
The small label, Dawg Music, is accusing the labels and stores of carrying the label's music and seling his works "with poor or nonexistent compensation ... [ read the full article ]
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"With the furor over the impending rate hike for Internet radio stations, wouldn't a good solution be for streaming internet stations to simply not play RIAA-affiliated labels' music and focus on independent artists? Sounds good, except that the RIAA's affiliate organization SoundExchange claims it has the right to collect royalties for any artist, no matter if they have signed with an RIAA label or not. 'SoundExchange (the RIAA) considers any digital performance of a song as falling under their compulsory license. If any artist records a song, SoundExchange has the right to collect royalties for its performance on Internet radio. Artists can offer to download their music for free, but they cannot offer their songs to Internet radio for free ... So how it works is that SoundExchange collects money through compulsory royalties from Webcasters and holds onto the money. If a label or artist wants their share of the money, they must become a member of SoundExchange and pay a fee to collect their royalties.'"
When something illegal occurs, it isn't about just compensation -- its about punishment as well. If there wasn't an adequate punishment then illegal things would happen all the time. If say the only consequence to stealing a computer would be paying for the computer, and getting to keep the computer, than crime would be unstoppable. Just because its digital doesn't mean its exempt from that rule.
After all the thievery, chicanery, and fraud the big boys have pulled on the little guys, indie labels, and musicians, it's finally time some little guy pulled their own game on them. BRAVO!
The late legendary Bo Diddley sold millions of records and received NOTHING for many of them. He was still working at age 79 because he needed the money. This is true of many world famous artists.
The major labels have historically dealt treacherously, immorally, and criminally with the artists who make the music we love.
They shut down mp3.com on a STUPID technicality. People could upload their CD's to play from mp3.com, but because they stored just one shared copy, the major labels won billions, and shut down mp3.com for independent artists. Us little guys were making decent money writing, recording, marketing, and selling our music. The big guys didn't like us tapping into their market, and got their crooked lawyers to find a technicality over which to put them (and us) out of business.
This isn't about losses. It's about punishment. Te mp3.com lawsuit represented no losses by the majors. The songs in question had been properly bought and paid for. They collected monies they were not rightfully entitled to, on a technicality. You go, Dawg!
