Music Industry Tricked Artist Into Anti-Piracy “Witch Hunt”
Written by enigmax on May 01, 2008An anti-piracy documentary created by the music industry and supposedly supported by artists has been grabbing headlines during recent days. However, one of the artists isn’t happy as he claims he was conned by the music industry into appearing in the video, which he says is part of a “witch hunt”.
Over the last few days, an anti-piracy video produced by MIPI - Music Industry Piracy Investigations - and circulated around every high school in Australia, has been grabbing a few headlines. The 10 minute video which is designed to be easily spread around the internet, was apparently supported by many Australian artists with Lisa Origliasso of the Veronicas saying: “The problem with downloading obviously is that it’s ruining our industry in a way, because I mean you know artists just aren’t making money, record companies aren’t making money from it.”
Other artists supporting the project include Powderfinger, Silverchair, Jimmy Barnes, Operator Please, Gyroscope, Dawn Collective and punk band, Frenzal Rhomb.
Actually, to say that Frenzal Rhomb support the video is not exactly true. Their guitarist, Lindsay McDougall, is not a happy man this morning as he tears into the music industry, claiming he was “duped” into appearing in the video.
McDougall, who is also a presenter on radio station Triple J, told SMH that he was furious at being “lumped in with this witch hunt” and that he had been “completely taken out of context and defamed” by the Australian music industry. McDougall was told that the video was all about surviving as an Australian artist and no-one told him it was part of an anti-piracy drive.
He said: “I have never come out against Internet piracy and illegal downloading and I wouldn’t do that - I would never put my name to something that is against downloading and is against piracy and stuff, it’s something that I believe is a personal thing from artist to artist.”
McDougall goes on, stating: “I would never be part of this big record industry funded campaign to crush illegal downloads, I’m not like [Metallica drummer] Lars Ulrich. I think it’s bullshit, I think it’s record companies crying poor and I don’t agree with it.”
Echoing the words of many artists in recent times, McDougall decries the methods of the record labels, in that they are the ones making all the money and still complain about what they see as a lack of revenue, even though they failed to adapt to the digital age:
“I’m from a punk rock band, it’s all about getting your music out any way you can - you don’t make money from the record, the record companies make the money from the record. If they can’t make money these days because they haven’t come onside with the way the world is going, it’s their own problem.”
Sabiene Heindl, general manager at MIPI said they were very clear in indicating where the video originated and that it would be distributed to schools, but clearly McDougall is still concerned about his image being sullied by association.
“I don’t think i’m going to sue anyone but I would say that already this morning people’s opinion of me has been lowered,” he said. Not now you’ve set the record straight Mr McDougall.
Coincidentally, TorrentFreak has recently been in touch with a punk outfit who are embracing the power of the digital revolution and BitTorrent in particular. CEO Nick Vivid of MegaPlatinum.net said of their fledgling “Spread This!” BitTorrent network : “We are really enjoying the ability to embrace the punk aesthetics of ‘Do it yourself’ and ‘Call for Change’ - our aesthetics - with this system. There’s an amazing amount of chaos in the record industry. This total deconstruction of the system is exactly what helps us thrive. Our bands feed off of that energy, just as we do.”
Commenting on this situation, Nick told us: “It’s funny how organizations with intimidating names and non menacing acronyms will use deceptive means to warp the words and ruin the reputations of people like Lindsay McDougall - people who have a certain amount of credibility they’ve worked hard to get - in any way possible so that it fits their agenda. More sad proof that a large part of the music industry doesn’t care about the artists or the fans. It’s something else entirely they’re after. I’m surprised Australia let such propaganda in the schools. Microsoft recently proposed something similar in the USA. Thankfully enough people in our educational system saw the ridiculousness of the idea and squashed it.”
Stay tuned for an interview soon.
Previously: Mininova’s Traffic Doubles in a Year
Next: IFPI to Sue Swedish ISP for Facilitating Copyright Infringement
58 Responses
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The Veronicas are nothing more then teenie bopper co*k teases… maybe when they stay in the music game for a few years and then they can consider themselfs artists…
Well hasnt been shown in my school yet thank God
Here is a list of people who is involved in creating AACS, CSS and other crap content protections.
Many people are from RIAA, MPAA and other criminal organizations.
http://www.cptwg.org/html/ATTENDEES%20home%20page.doc
http://www.cptwg.org/html/2001%20Att%20condensed.xls
Here is a list of people involved in creating and distributing AACS, BD+ and other malware. They definitely did not like when 09F9 was making its rounds around the net.
http://www.cptwg.org/html/ATTENDEES%20home%20page.doc
It contains names, e-mails and organizations these people are working for. The document is public, but is on an obscure site.
Many people are from RIAA, MPAA, IFPI and other criminal organizations.
thx for the list
such videos as this one puts a bad name not only only the artists but the record company for funding it and all that stuff until they realize that bad media only works to help pirating if someone hears that a band is anti piracy you don’t go out a buy their damn CD you pirate it just to give them your two cents
in regard to the music industry crashing and burning this will not happen until there is more musicians doing it solo either that or it will not die but be over run by the next generation (one guess who they are) who will take risks and adapt the industry to the 21st century
The video itself isn’t all that revealing. We get to see artist who are concerned about the future of music. We don’t ever hear the questions by the interviewers. They probably asked things like: “How do you feel about making music these days?”, “Where do you think the music business will be in ten years?” or “What do you think can be done to integrate music with the internet?” Okay, these are all important and legitimate questions. And the response was mostly unspecific. No one said file sharing should be illegal.
Now, the stinky business of the MAFIAA is to put a spin onto these concerns that is completely out of tune. They creep around and tell everybody “Downloading music is killing all these nice people here. See for yourself, here is the video.”
The other day (Book Authors See BitTorrent As a Promotional Tool) somebody posted a link to an article by Janis Ian. An interesting read with a different perspective.
> Lisa Origliasso of the Veronicas saying: “The problem with downloading obviously is that
When people say ‘obviously’ it usually isn’t and means they didn’t think through their logic: this slag is repeating something some record industry PR told her
> it’s ruining our industry in a way, because I mean you know artists just aren’t making money, record companies aren’t making money from it.”
Dumb bitch. She’s being ripped off, and is too stupid to know it. Google for “orson scott card mp3s are not the devil” for the details.
I’ve never even heard about any of those “artists”. Then again, less pop culture = more true art.
And those who are only doing it for money, should rather do something else. Like street cleaning. Maybe they have enough talent for that.
Why aren’t they able to digest n’ acknowledge the fact that it’s pointless even to talk about stopping file-sharing now.. As they put it in “Steal This Film-II” , its way out-of-the-bag now… :)
Correct me if I’m worng but last I heard music sales world wide have never stopped growing. And if australian artists want to start selling more records then its time to start producing better music(goes for the rest of the world too), “human nature” & anthony callea, what would lead them to believe the internet is a threat to them, why anyone would want to download their music other than for a joke. Sorry if i offended any retards
But how does/would an artist make money if he puts up his/her work on Bit torrent network? How would the artist survive? Any artists that have made it the torrent-way?
P.S. Am all for file sharing, I even second/agree with
Mr.Mcdougall and Mr. Nick
Thanks, TorrentFreak.
so even artists are being cheated by the music industry!!!!
Hey torrentfreakers,
I’m an Aussie myself, so…. as a nice F*$k you to the music industry, might I recommend you download Best of Powderfinger? Excellent, excellent rock.
Next, try a little Evermore. Sure, they’re from New Zealand, but hey, that’s Lord of the Rings territory!
Silverchair also have some great rock, as well as Jimmy Barnes.
I go to school in Australia, and I haven’t seen or heard a thing about this. Seems to me the MIPI — who I also have never seen or heard of — is making this movie to make itself feel better about filesharing. Also, go Frenzal go!
I just watched the vid. I didn’t see him in it, and he isn’t listed in the contributors. Was the video re-edited? Why is he bitching? Just to be popular???
Music recording industry will crash, will collapse soon. there’s more reasons for it (besides what you have read) that I’m too shy to say .
http://reviewcommunity.org/
Jimmy Barnes is from Glasgow and played shit-holes till a few years ago. No wonder he’s big in Oz. No offence Aussies, but if this is your cream of the crop, your in shit street. I’ve just watched the video & most of these self-centered boring USA-Lite assholes are so gormlessly blind as too their own bullshit, well, it’s pretty unbeleivable. “I’ve been singin my own songs since I was 3 so it’s not like I wanna be famous!!!” ?? Jesus & Christ.
Again no offence to Aussies (ya mongrels!) but this is a VERY bad advert for your countries music scene. Fuck The System That Fucks You!
Even if you live in the outback and have songs, and are good, get it on the internet!!!
Love.
Once again, it needs to be brought to their attention: piracy annoys artists, piracy hurts record companies, record companies exist only to enslave and abuse any and all who love music: from the Rolling Stone magazine website:
This breakdown of the cost of a typical major-label release by the independent market-research firm Almighty Institute of Music Retail shows where the money goes for a new album with a list price of $15.99.
$0.17 Musicians’ unions
$0.80 Packaging/manufacturing
$0.82 Publishing royalties
$0.80 Retail profit
$0.90 Distribution
$1.60 Artists’ royalties
$1.70 Label profit
$2.40 Marketing/promotion
$2.91 Label overhead
$3.89 Retail overhead
Not to mention: I do a good weeks work, I get paid for the weeks work, and its over.
An attorney does a weeks work and makes $5,000 - $10,000 dollars;
A programmer does a weeks work and makes $800 - $900.
A grasscutter does a weeks work and makes $200 - $300.
None of these guys get paid in perpetuity for their contribution to society.
I don’t think artists, musicians etc. should get special treatment.
Fuck you. I’m gonna go download some of your albums.
[quote comment="367717"]Jimmy Barnes is from Glasgow and played shit-holes till a few years ago. No wonder he’s big in Oz. No offence Aussies, but if this is your cream of the crop, your in shit street…[/quote]
Jimmy Barnes moved to Australia when he was 5, he is an Australian citizen. He has done all his singing in Aussie bands from Fraternity in 73 to Cold Chisel, the biggest Oz rock band of the 80’s. He has had 11 number 1 albums in Oz including 8 solo, unmatched by any other musician worldwide.
AND your an ill informed ass.
As the ‘Musicians Union’ used to say “Keep Music Live”
does anybody else feel that the video is just meaningless? I mean if if you take it out of this context, it just sounds like a bunch of Australian music nobodies waffling unintelligently. what’s to get annoyed at in this? They all just come across as people who have a hard time with doing work of any sort - sort of slacker malaise - arse to this.
Check my response here:
http://acetonestudio.blogspot.com/2008/05/mindless-twaddle.html
[quote comment="367717"]No offence Aussies, but if this is your cream of the crop, your in shit street.[/quote]
I gotta disagree with you there dude. Aussie music pumps out some really good shit. And I reckon a lot of it just boils down to musical taste anyways… each to his/her own.
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