music business | Digital Pirates versus the Cyber Music Armada

Digital Pirates versus the Cyber Music Armada

News flash for all the musicians and music fans!

There is a war going on in the cyber world no music lover is safe from. It’s the Digital Pirates versus the Cyber Music Armada in this battle people.

Music stars, song writers and producers are speaking out against the UK government’s proposals to shut down the file-sharers on the internet. The government have stated that persistent file-sharers could have their internet accounts suspended in an attempt to crack down on piracy for sharing content illegally. This has caused a tidal wave in the music industry and Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien, member of the Featured Artists’ Coalition (FAC) said, “It’s going to start a war which they’ll never win”. The FAC say that “heavy-handed” tactics may turn fans away from music for good. The FAC is a pressure group formed to represent performers, who has joined forces with the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and the Music Producers Guild. The three bodies have joined forces to make it clear that they “vehemently oppose” the plans to punish file sharers. The major record labels and other commercial arms of the music industries views contrast to the FAC, they have welcomed the suggestions.

Geoff Taylor, of the British Phonographic Industry, which represents music record labels, says the government is right to consider “temporary suspension as a last resort, where accounts are repeatedly used illegally despite warnings.” Taylor goes on to say, “FAC’s views don’t represent those of most people across the music sector, who recognise the serious damage that illegal file-sharing is doing to investment in new music”.

The future of music could depend on music being legally downloaded from services based on radio. If this scenario was to manifest, it would mean that fans would not pay for every song but may pay a subscription or hear adverts, as with existing services such as Spotify or We7.

The government has set the Digital Britain report which was originally published in June 2009 and based on this report the government set a target to reduce file-sharing by 70% in the first year. That report gave media regulator Ofcom until 2012 to consider whether “technical measures” – such as reducing broadband speeds or blocking access to download sites – were necessary.