Pick On Someone Your Own Size
Published October 01, 2002
Prince's career has been frought with erratic zigs and zags, but over the last few years, it has also taken on the whiff of blatant hypocrisy. Prince's production company just sued (another) fan,
- the operator of an Internet site that allegedly offered pirated recordings of the rock star's live performances from his "Xenophobia" concert series in June.
Paisley Park Enterprises, based in Chanhassen, Minn., filed the copyright-infringement lawsuit in federal court Wednesday.
Prince names Matthew Lankford of Seattle, operator of http://FreeMyHeart.com -- a Web site devoted to singer Me'Shell Ndegeocello.
The lawsuit alleges that Lankford broke federal copyright laws by allowing Web users to download Prince songs that included "specific information describing which day the unauthorized recording of the 'Xenophobia' concert took place."
Lankford denied violating the copyrights and said he doesn't think he's done anything illegal.
"What he's claiming is that I put up files on my Web site. What happened is I put up links to other Web sites that had files on them," he said Friday.
Lankford said there's no mention of Prince on the Web site now and there won't be any in the future.
"One of my favorite artists is coming after me for promoting him on my Web site," Lankford said. "For him to seek $150,000 per song to try to ruin me for doing nothing more than promoting him is ... overdoing it."
Besides "overdoing it," the suit is in flagrant opposition to Prince's own writing on the subject of P2P (please forgive the Prince-speak):
- What is 4 sure, however, is that, in spite of its many claims 2 the contrary, the recording industry has yet 2 provide evidence that P2P is actually detrimental 2 music making as an artistic endeavor, and even as a commercial venture. It is worth remembering, 4 xample, that sales of music CDs actually increased when Napster was at its peak, and declined after Napster was abruptly shut down. Even economists who thought that file sharing "should b" hurting the recording industry r now xpressing their doubts, based on what they say is simply not happening.
More importantly, many well-respected artists have sided with Internet users against corporate greed and actually use the Internet 2 promote alternative ways 2 distribute their music and reach out 2 a non-captive, legitimate audience of authentic music lovers.
This does not mean, of course, that all 4ms of file sharing r equally innocuous. There is little doubt that, when people use the Internet as a substitute 4 radio, i.e. as a way 2 discover new music, it can help promote the work of artists. But when a young junior high school student downloads tracks off the Internet and makes CD-R copies of them that he then sells 4 $5 in the schoolyard, it hurts sales of the original CD and it's disrespectful of the artist - regardless of how small a cut of the actual CD price the artist actually gets after all the xecutives and the middlemen in the recording industry have taken their piece of the pie.
- Pick On Someone Your Own Size
- Published: October 01, 2002
- Type:
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: News, Music: Pop, Music: Hip-hop, Music: Rock
- Writer: Eric Olsen
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Comments on this articleComments
Good point, Chris, thanks.
And this after Island Records sued Negativland into the ground 'on behalf' of U2, based on Negativland's use of mateiral related to that bunch of Irish 'rockers'. Another duality.
interesting... might also find this interesting as well... thanks...
Thanks Matthew (?), looks very interesting indeed, will follow up.
No, just a visitor of his site. Matthew also linked to this site yesterday too (but for some reason the links and quote are no longer there.)
Prince: "Regardless of industry spin, eye love my fams and thank them 4 ALL their support, even the bootleggers! Peace and Love Christ." - Prince, 6/8/00
Also listed temporarily here:
(In prince's own words on page 6 of the liner notes of his official 5cd "Crystal Ball" boxset)
"9. Movie Star - D'Angelo's favorite bootleg. His love 4 this track inspired its inclusion..."
Prince has an interesting way of expressing to his fans how he feels about bootlegging. From accepting it in interviews & liner notes, to sueing one of the folks that bought the 5CD set simply because of what was mentioned in the article above. Not exactly what they teach in business school. Is the lawsuit just a way to drum up publicity for Prince's own upcoming 3CD live album coming out this fall? Seems like a pretty cheap way of getting it in the short run, but quite expensive in the long run based on just a few of the responses here.
As posted here by Prince on his official website less than 2 months ago:
What is 4 sure, however, is that, in spite of its many claims 2 the contrary, the recording industry has yet 2 provide evidence that P2P is actually detrimental 2 music making as an artistic endeavor, and even as a commercial venture. It is worth remembering, 4 xample, that sales of music CDs actually increased when Napster was at its peak, and declined after Napster was abruptly shut down. Even economists who thought that file sharing "should b" hurting the recording industry r now xpressing their doubts, based on what they say is simply not happening.
More importantly, many well-respected artists have sided with Internet users against corporate greed and actually use the Internet 2 promote alternative ways 2 distribute their music and reach out 2 a non-captive, legitimate audience of authentic music lovers.
This does not mean, of course, that all 4ms of file sharing r equally innocuous. There is little doubt that, when people use the Internet as a substitute 4 radio, i.e. as a way 2 discover new music, it can help promote the work of artists. But when a young junior high school student downloads tracks off the Internet and makes CD-R copies of them that he then sells 4 $5 in the schoolyard, it hurts sales of the original CD and it's disrespectful of the artist - regardless of how small a cut of the actual CD price the artist actually gets after all the xecutives and the middlemen in the recording industry have taken their piece of the pie.
Still, can we really go as far as 2 say that digital technology is creating a "nation of thieves" who no longer recognize the just value of art?
Contradiction anyone?
Hi,
Just read your dialog regardingPrince copyright issue. I have just been suspended from eBay for 1 year for selling an official Prince DVD which is available on many online shops like amazon, hmv etc... as well as retail shops. Obviously these people who are in charge of that holy mission are targeting independent music sellers who can not fight back easily. I make my living on Ebay and the only way i could resume is for Prince's people to withdraw their complaint which i guess not going to happen. The DVD Prince Glory Years has even an authentic EAN number but these things do not mean anything unless you are HMV or some other big company that can defend itself. They do not even bother to provide a contact to discuss the subject with. Do you have any idea what i can do about this? Best Regards...
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What's interesting is it seems like artists whose careers are in decline are the only ones upset by all this new fangled internet music sharing. Run "U2 Live" through a Google search and you find a ton of sites offering "pirated" CD's or downloads. Heck, one site even has almost every U2 show ever done available for download.