Inbox: Copyright Storm

Mike Hanrahan, Cork, writes:While I welcome Bill Whelan’s commentary on the digital rights debacle (Aug-Sept), and indeed his call to arms to all concerned authors and composers, a part of me cannot but feel it’s all a little too late. However,...

Mike Hanrahan, Cork, writes:

While I welcome Bill Whelan’s commentary on the digital rights debacle (Aug-Sept), and indeed his call to arms to all concerned authors and composers, a part of me cannot but feel it’s all a little too late. However, the debate has been opened in this forum and I believe it’s a very welcome development.

Understanding the reasons why the collection of digital downloads has become a disaster is both complex and rather shocking. My view, which is based on a few years of study, understanding and frontline fighting, is that the music publishing community, major users, some EU and local politicians, collection societies and their umbrella organisations, have all somehow managed to create total chaos in the download market. They have done this in their efforts to consolidate and control their own interests, and not those whom they should be protecting in the first place, namely the author and composer. A one-stop-shop dream has become a thirty-two-stop nightmare. Meanwhile the consumer, who has left them all behind years ago, is enjoying the freedom of the airwaves to download at will.

I am reminded of a comment made by a colleague from Denmark, Pia Raug, a dedicated and energetic person who fights tirelessly for authors’ rights throughout Europe, who once said at a conference similar to that one attended by Bill Whelan, that copyright, to the new generation of users, has become the right to copy. This is because of our industry’s failure to act for the masses – preferring instead to listen to the major user bodies, major record companies, their publishers, telecommunication giants and the few large and greedy collection societies, all vying for the big prize: control of the digital download platform. 

The main problem in Ireland is that the major authors are signed to major labels whose Irish publishing arm is merely a back office and not at all willing to bite the hand that feeds. It is disgraceful that Ireland has no independent Irish publishing association or mechanical collection society. Everything is controlled from London and London is controlled by the majors.

Indigenous music and independent authors and composers will find it increasingly difficult to find a platform in the digital area and the listener will be subject to a homogenised choice of the music available to download. So thanks to Bill Whelan for his article, and thanks to this wonderful magazine for highlighting the issue and hopefully opening up the debate. Pia Raug and her friends are still fighting the good fight. They could certainly do with the voice and concerns of the Bill Whelans of this music world.

Published on 1 October 2009

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