Give us your pot smokers, your marriage-seeking gays, your wretched ... file sharers?

January 27, 2006 7:03 PM

Give us your pot smokers, your marriage-seeking gays, your wretched ... file sharers?"A major Canadian record company has taken the unusual step of hiring a defense lawyer for a man accused by the U.S. record industry of downloading hundreds of songs illegally. ... 'Suing music fans is not the solution; it's the problem,' Terry McBride, chief executive of Nettwork, said in a statement this week."
posted by maudlin (30 comments total)

More links? Maybe to the label? Or the artists signed to the label so folks can support them by buying some music?
posted by eustacescrubb at 7:29 PM on January 27, 2006

Support the label and rock your ass off. Buy something by Old Crow Medicine Show.
posted by ND¢ at 7:36 PM on January 27, 2006

Nettwerk has a pretty good selection on emusic.com where downloads are $0.25 each.
posted by eustacescrubb at 7:36 PM on January 27, 2006

I second Old Crow Medicine Show.

Also good on Nettwrk:

Trespassers William
Hem (one of my favorite new bands in a long, long time -- like Over the Rhine meets Gram Parsons).
Ron Sexsmith
David Mead
posted by eustacescrubb at 7:40 PM on January 27, 2006

Support them by buying some music? Like Avril Lavigne and Barenaked Ladies? No thanks.
I wouldn't even download that crap off the internet for free.
posted by Demogorgon at 7:47 PM on January 27, 2006

Thanks, eustacecrab. I hit post instead of preview, then my post didn't show up no matter how often I refreshed, even after logging out. (Is this delay a new feature? I haven't posted to the blue for ages.)

Anyway, Terry McBride wasn't quite as supportive back in 2004 when a federal ruling said that downloading for personal use in Canada was just fine:

The head of Nettwerk, a record label based in Vancouver that represents more than 40 artists including Ms. McLachlan and Barenaked Ladies, says the judge is "completely out to lunch" on this issue.

"He has basically said that anything you've put up in a file-sharing system - it doesn't matter whether it's music, books, movies, it can be any copyrightable material - if people want to take it from your computer that's perfectly fine, because that's private use," says Terry McBride, CEO of Nettwerk. "But the problem is it's not private use."

Mr. McBride blames file-swapping for driving the global music business into recession.

So what happened with McBride between 2004 and now?
posted by maudlin at 7:50 PM on January 27, 2006

The Be Good Tanyas; EMI released one of their albums with copy-control, which caused the band (and Nettwerk) much grief.
posted by scruss at 7:50 PM on January 27, 2006

Yeah, demogorgon, but what do you have to say about the article? A statement like "Suing music fans is not the solution; it's the problem," Terry McBride, chief executive of Nettwork, said in a statement this week. is more than sticking one's neck out, considering the source. Try using that brain that I assume you have.
posted by ashbury at 7:53 PM on January 27, 2006

So what happened with McBride between 2004 and now?

Hard to say. It's possible that after over a year of legal filesharing in Canada that McBride realized he was overreacting. Or, perhpas he's a shrwed person who realized that this might make for good marketing.
posted by eustacescrubb at 7:59 PM on January 27, 2006

Support them by buying some music? Like Avril Lavigne and Barenaked Ladies? No thanks.

Could always go into the back catalogue and pick up some skinny puppy or something a little tamer like severed heads ;)

I don't understand McBrides about face either but maybe he finally nabbed a brain and realized p2p isn't as evil as the **IA's want everyone to believe.
posted by squeak at 8:13 PM on January 27, 2006

The article? Well, I think it's great that someone in a position of power in the recording industry is sticking their neck out for the file-sharing community. Hope they take it all the way.
But that still doesn't change the fact that I would never...ever download a Barenaked Ladies or Avril Lavigne album off the internet. Not even for free.
posted by Demogorgon at 8:22 PM on January 27, 2006

Could always go into the back catalogue and pick up some skinny puppy or something a little tamer like severed heads ;)

Now there's something I would download off the internet for free.
posted by Demogorgon at 8:24 PM on January 27, 2006

Could always go into the back catalogue and pick up some skinny puppy or something a little tamer like severed heads ;)

There's always good stuff to pick up from network. MC 900 Ft. Jesus, The Grapes of Wrath, Moev, etc., etc.

The early Delerium albums from when they were a dark industrial band are incredible, if you like ambient music.
posted by Jairus at 8:24 PM on January 27, 2006

squeak:I don't understand McBrides about face either but maybe he finally nabbed a brain and realized p2p isn't as evil as the **IA's want everyone to believe.

There is no about face, I don't think. He is trying to combine marketing with finding a middle ground. Commendable enough, even if there is a PR advantage... If it was truly well intentioned, he would go after the terrible IP reforms that Bulte and her ilk are trying to pull on Canadians - of course Bulte is out, but a Conservative government is in, so I'm not certain the problem is solved.
posted by Chuckles at 9:04 PM on January 27, 2006

Thanks Scruss for the Be Good Tanyas Link. I had picked up a CD of theirs with copy-control which surprised me. I also hadn't seen this video before.
posted by Staggering Jack at 9:46 PM on January 27, 2006

In another article I read about this, they had a great quote, and I paraphrase: "Litigations should be used as a shield, not a sword"

I think that is the crux of the issue and nicely put at that.
posted by qwip at 9:49 PM on January 27, 2006

There's always good stuff to pick up from network.

Yup at one time a large part of my music library was made up of music from them and because Nettwerk was (is?) located in Vancouver a lot of those bands came to play there - so got to see shows like Severed Heads with MC 900 Foot Jesus as the opening act and Front 242.

Chuckles, in 2004 file sharers are evil pirates who are sucking the very life from his business but now he is going to pay someone to defend one of these alleged pirates? How isn't it an about face? If it isn't, why didn't he make this offer to say, CIPPIC (one of the intervenor's in the court case who could have used a influx of cash at the time) when CRIA was trying to sue 29 Canadians? Because one of the songs wasn't from Nettwerk Records?

More importantly, why go across the border for this fight when he could have done it his own backyard?

I agree with you he could still help but if this is just PR to try to rack up record sales then all I really have to say is, meh :)
posted by squeak at 9:54 PM on January 27, 2006

Michael Geist weighs in here.

Like Avril Lavigne and Barenaked Ladies?

Considering neither artist is on the Nettwerk label your comment is kind of silly.

But that still doesn't change the fact that I would never...ever download a Barenaked Ladies or Avril Lavigne album off the internet. Not even for free.

Wow! You must be the coolest person online ever!

EMI released one of their albums with copy-control, which caused the band (and Nettwerk) much grief.

Though this was EMI's fault, Nettwerk is not completely immune to stupid stunts that affect the playability of their CDs. I remember about 9 years ago they released a Mystery Machine album with a video on it... and they put the video track first, which gave my cd player much grief. When called on it they said the technology didn't exist to not put it first. I don't know if that was true or not, but if it was... leave the video off the cd! :)

Anyway, this is good news about the label and I'm glad to hear it.
posted by Manhasset at 9:54 PM on January 27, 2006

Give us your pot smokers

Or not.
posted by homunculus at 10:13 PM on January 27, 2006

Like eustacescrubb, I think this may be a matter of marketing. One defendant is being supported in a high-profile way. All the hipster, underground file-sharers will probably cream their jeans over this, then the company will slink back and wait for other companies to get their panties in a bunch and do all the dirty work. They haven't done much, really.

Then again, the optimist in me hopes that record companies will realize that their business model is out of date, and they'll adjust accordingly. Again, that's the optimist in me hoping that this guy has seen the light.
posted by brundlefly at 10:27 PM on January 27, 2006

Thanks Manhasset! From a Toronto Star article Geist links, It's a grey world - online and in parliament:

In a survey done for CRIA, only 38 per cent of respondents said downloading music on the Internet is illegal; 26 per cent said they thought it was legal, and the rest — 36 per cent — just weren't sure anymore. How could they know? This is what happens in ideological debates: The truth dissolves and disappears into the hiss of personal politics.

It is very interesting, as far as I know it is perfectly legal to share files in Canada at this time. Somehow Peter Scowen, the author of the article, seems to be as confused as the Canadian public about the legality question... Actually, I think he is just being deceptive.

I was considering a letter to the Star about the misinformation, so I read the article a little more carefully. I think he has worded every line of that article to skirt the legality question. It definitely leaves the impression that file sharing is illegal, but he never actually says it. It takes massive balls to include a survey on legality, accuse people of having it wrong, and yet convey a factually incorrect message yourself.
posted by Chuckles at 10:56 PM on January 27, 2006

I kinda liked Avril Lavigne......
posted by BitterOldPunk at 1:23 AM on January 28, 2006

Like Avril Lavigne [...]? No thanks.
I wouldn't even download that crap off the internet for free.

Your name has been added to the list.
posted by cillit bang at 1:28 AM on January 28, 2006

Nettwerk's main business is as a management company, not a label (although they are a label as well). And Terry McBride is one of the smartest guys in the business.

He has not done an about face since that earlier interview. I don't believe that he is advocating making all music free and giving it away via P2P. He's simply saying he doesn't believe that suing and alienating your customers is the way to do business. And he's right. Labels need to embrace social networking and filesharing and figure out a way to make it work to their advantage rather than trying to completely squash it .
posted by gfrobe at 2:03 AM on January 28, 2006

I remember about 9 years ago they released a Mystery Machine album

Now those guys knew how to smoke the dope.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:40 AM on January 28, 2006

So what happened with McBride between 2004 and now?

I'm not sure it's an about face. He doesn't say now that it should be legal or that it's good. All he's saying is that suing people who do it isn't the solution and (this next part I'm presuming is part of the logic) that it's not fair to sacrifice/persecute one person for what is a systemic problem.

More importantly, why go across the border for this fight when he could have done it his own backyard?

Because filesharers aren't being sued in Canada.
posted by duck at 9:03 AM on January 28, 2006

Nettwork to the rescue!

I'm gonna buy me some industrial music, I guess...
posted by insomnia_lj at 10:11 AM on January 28, 2006

The Grapes of Wrath, Moev

Whoah. Headspinning deja vu, here. I wasn't aware that Moev had even been heard of outside Vancouver.
posted by jokeefe at 10:25 AM on January 28, 2006

I don't believe that he is advocating making all music free and giving it away via P2P.

It wasn't his response to the Judges ruling but his comment about file sharing hurting the business that I was thinking about. I'd like to know what the reasoning is behind doing this now since to my way of thinking he is now willing to defend someone who apparently did the very thing he spoke out against in 2004.

Because filesharers aren't being sued in Canada.

I was referring to CRIA's previous attempt at suing Canadians not the current state of affairs, guess I should have added a "in 2004" after "his own backyard".
posted by squeak at 11:06 AM on January 28, 2006

Whoah. Headspinning deja vu, here. I wasn't aware that Moev had even been heard of outside Vancouver.

Nettwerk had the best synthpop.
posted by Jairus at 9:19 AM on January 31, 2006