She Said BOOM (!) indeed. Yet another earthquake in the political landscape of the Canadian music industry – in a year that has seen Nettwerk’s conspicuous decision to go its own way on file sharing litigation, and the departure from CRIA of six Canadian independent music labels, as Michael Geist puts it:
Some of Canada’s best-known musicians have launched the Canadian Music Creators Coalition, which in the words of the coalition will “ensure that lobbyists for major record labels and music publishers are not the only voices heard in debates about Canada’s copyright laws and other key cultural policy issues.”
Who is involved? For starters, there is Barenaked Ladies, Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Chantal Kreviazuk, Sum 41, Stars, Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace), Dave Bidini (Rheostatics), Billy Talent, John K. Samson (Weakerthans), Broken Social Scene, Sloan, Andrew Cash, and Bob Wiseman (co-founder of Blue Rodeo) who between them have won dozens of Grammy and Juno Awards while selling tens of millions of records worldwide.
Why?
Suing Our Fans is Destructive and Hypocritical
Artists do not want to sue music fans. The labels have been suing our fans against artists’ will, and laws enabling these suits cannot be justified in artists’ namesDigital Locks are Risky and Counterproductive
Artists do not support using digital locks to increase the labels’ control over the distribution, use and enjoyment of music or laws that prohibit circumvention of such technological measures. Consumers should be able to transfer the music they buy to other formats under a right of fair use, without having to pay twice.Cultural Policy Should Support Actual Canadian Artists
The vast majority of new Canadian music is not promoted by major labels, which focus mostly on foreign artists. The government should use other policy tools to support actual Canadian artists and a thriving musical and cultural scene.