RIAA and ASCAP to cut sites

guitar3456 · December 2005

Well, it's happening again..RIAA and ASCAP are cutting down websites that sponsor dloads,,ie mypsace, and others. They destroyed MP3.com ( the good one for independents and unsigned) and need to do more. RIAA submitted 35 mil in a proposed budget to police the internet. What a joke!! ASCAP increased the rates to clubs that pay svc fees for cover bands by 22%. Many clubs have now decided to remove Live Entertainment on weekends.

Many people never understood Cover Charges at clubs...it's not just for the band, or lack of following..it's for royalties and fees to ASCAP for clubs sponsoring bands playing copyrighted material. For as many small clubs even..the annual amount is enormous! Even that is not enough for them! So far in many large cities, clubs that offered Live Entertainment have vanished. Now they are probing myspace.com and others...and assessing fines, threatening suits.

Thing is, if they put something out that was worth listening we'd buy it.... silencing the independents is just wrong! Boy bands, Hoo haa ha, and Lip Syncing dancers is not entertainment! When they can't be creative, they copy other successful artists from the past!! With all this garbage, they'll never get newer music if they shut down the force that drives it ! IF the industry had agents seeking talent they'd make more than by spending money to police what's already out. It makes me sad to see many very good bands not get an opportunity..and when they have a forum to do so..it gets shut down. They should listen to the music there and give the artists a visit if they think it's viable...not eliminate it!

iliace · December 2005

That's really scewing people over, too. To get in to play anywhere small you pretty much have to bring a sizeable drinking crowd, otherwise the club won't book you even if they do have live weekend entertainment.

What happens to bands that play cover songs in-between original material?

Myspace has it coming, quite honestly and very unfortunately. People are putting up copyrighted material straight on their pages - it plays without any download or anything, and seems that it could be just about any song (or other copyrighted material). While I don't agree with the way RIAA and the rest do business, I support artists' right to contract royalties and receive them on those terms.

AtomicNinjaRobot · December 2005

Just saw this one :

\BBC News\ wrote:

Musical instrument shops must pay an annual royalty to cover shoppers who perform a recognisable riff before they buy, thereby making a \"public performance\".

Now that is nuts!

iliace · December 2005

I wonder who's collecting.

ednrg · December 2005

Pretty soon RIAA reps will stand in Sam Ash and Guitar Center locations, to charge beginners for playing Smoke on the Water.

thehootman · December 2005

What is this world coming to...

I agree with guitar3456, all this crap pitch-corrected, voice enhanced boy-band and other assorted pop bulls$%t is garbage. I dont understand how anyone can listen to it.

Tal Rules · December 2005

Ah Yes,,

A homogenized copyright law to protect the (BEM's, Buggar Eating Morons) homogenized music and films they produce...

Zappa said it 35 years ago...

\"Who are the Brain Police\"... 8)

See Ya,
Tal

glp_78 · December 2005

I agree with G3456 that the pop music today is horrible and that new and upcoming artists should have more opportunities. I have to drive over an hour to gig because the place I live are so infatuated with POP CULTURE. You can get a gig there as long as you play Skynryd or AC/DC. I love those bands and respect them but club owners push it too much. They will straight up tell you these songs they want you to play and you have to play them. I understand it's difficult to get your music out there without covering something to get the crowds attention but musicians need to have a little more drive also. There are lots of bands that try, but there are TOO many who are complacent playing the same 50 cover songs they've always played. As for bands trying to cover songs and post them on their pages, that is pathetic. Write your own stuff and if you can't, then practice more. Don't ruin the music scene for the rest of us just because you can't come up with your own material.

iliace · December 2005

It's like a labor union: they're looking for every way to get their money as a third-party leech. First downloading/uploading and CD-copying screwed them over; now cover bands screwed them over; and of course sites like myspace that make it easy for unsigned/unknown bands to have a page and distribute their music just like a major-label band, that's a direct threat to them too.

People as a whole are ill-equipped to deal with this sort of thing - we need to buy, hear, play, record, and share. So long as that's true, they'll keep getting theirs.

clunky cannuck · December 2005

It's sad for sure. I'm speechless!!!

zap · December 2005

Murdoch's News Corp recently bought Intermix Media, owner of Myspace.com so there are lawyers no doubt posturing their turf over money. What is more alarming is the U.S. Supreme Court allowing takings of personal property now for \"public good\" besides \"public use\". Follow this to conclusion then of taking intellectual property to whom ever pays the most money to bureaucrat's coffers. It's all too upside down the way we used to enjoy music and too complicated it seems to fix. The few judges seem to dictate over the will of the people ruling against the little guy/gal in owning private property.
http://www.forbes.com/2005/07/19/murdoch-intermix-internet_cx_gl_0719autofacescan05.html

Tal Rules · January 2006

Let's see ....????

I'm fifty two years old?? Wonder how I would look in hot pants, shaking my ass at the camera while I talk (not sing) about what I'm going to do to you...

Better yet, set me up with a bunch of Gold medalions and hot chicks and let me prove to the world I have no talent while I talk (Not Sing) about keeping it real for the streets...

At least some of the metal acts have a little originality and talent. (tool, motor head, etc)...

Gee, let's go to the movies to see the latest remake of a popular movie from 30 years ago.. Originality, Talent, who needs it... :evil:

You can't have your pudding until you've eaten all your beets is the rallying cry of these BEM's... :twisted:

Homogenized crap for a plastic world and now they want to prosecute you for stealing that crap.... :twisted:

Hell, they ought to be paying us to listen and view the crap they put out.... :twisted:

Who are the brain police
(Frank Zappa) 8)

See Ya,
Tal

shando · January 2006

\Tal Rules\ wrote:

Hell, they ought to be paying us to listen and view the crap they put out.... :twisted:

You hit the nail right on the head there mate. All industries are economy driven and although I don't completly agree with our anarchist friends that decide to attempt to disrupt the global economy every May Day I can understand the foundation of their opinions, more so now after reading this thread. Just like political partys and politicians these people are all looking at short term gains for their own ends and ignoring the long term effects and bigger picture. Yes the sensible thing is to encourage people to use your products even if it means letting some go for free as this has the effect of getting the product a wider general coverage which will result in more sales and more freebies being taken but I would say that is a fair trade off. However it looks like some want everything and to give nothing in return. You could view these people as no more than pimps. Grooming their manufactured product (boyband/teenage lolitat type) to go out and prostitute themselves to make as much as they can during their limited shelf life. As we are all aware, it doesn't matter one iota that a performer has no talent. If it's pimped, I mean marketed in the correct way the public will buy it.

I'm off to listen to my new Britney CD that cost me £10 from a store after walking past a plethora of eastern european blokes selling it outside for £2.

Happy New Year

shando

PS. Of course I'm only joking about the Britney CD...

It cost £12

iliace · January 2006

There was once an interview with Bill Gates. He had just concluded a multi-million-dollar signing with a major Russian bank - in Russia - for some Microsoft software. Then, as he walked out of the building and turned the proverbial corner, he saw the software on sale for a little more than the price of CD/box/booklet. It was quite a culture shock for him.

The Eastern European connection is certainly a thorn in RIAA's side.

guitar3456 · January 2006

35 Mil bucks though.... think of how many great artists unsigned..could be given a real forum. That's what's sick. There has not been a talent scout bandhunt in years.

glp_78 · January 2006

And there will not be any talent searching from the industry as long as talentless hacks like Ashlee Simpson are selling millions of records. I mean come on, she should have been hung out to dry after the SNL \"HOE-DOWN\" incident. But nooooo, she sells MORE records. Milli Vanilla got shanked. They did the same thing, right? I think one of the killers to talented musicians is MTV. I can't stand that channel. They feed out musical garbage to the masses. If MTV says you're cool, then you could be as horendous as a middle school talent show and still come out sitting pretty. If we as musicians want a chance though, we need to support other artists. Go to local shows, buy a Tee or a cheap CD. Don't borrow from your friend and burn it. Skip the horrid MTV for a night or two and pay the cover charge to see a few local acts. We can do our part too.

shando · January 2006

In the words of Beck \"MTV makes me want to smoke crack\"

ednrg · January 2006

The existing lobby is spending the money and fighting this tooth and nail. They don't want individual artist to publish their own material. They want them to have one avenue, and one avenue only. Sign with them. They take 99% of the profits.

If you publish your own material on a well known site, you may get discovered and you will make 100% of the profit.

That's why they are spending the money. It's worth it for them in the bottom line.

It's disgusting.

Slacker G · January 2006

Hmmmmmmm,

Greed makes the world go round. Loose some... loose some, I always say.

RIAA and ASCAP to cut sites

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