EMI Caught Offering Illegal Downloads

Hypocricy, LLC writes "While the RIAA is swift to punish any person caught offering illegal downloads, they're not very swift with outrage when a member company like EMI offers illegal downloads. Not only did the band King Crimson's contract never allow digital distribution to begin with, but band member Robert Fripp claims that EMI offered their music for sale even after their contract ended entirely."

Good for King Crimson.

[The Iso]

Contrary to common practice, KC owns the copyrights to their work.

In Germany, too

[saibot834]

The GVU [wikipedia.org] (The German Federation against Copyright Theft) actively used and supported illegal Filesharing by setting up their own servers from which users could download copyrighted stuff. Of course they didn't bother asking the copyright owner if this was ok, they just did it, until Heise.de revealed the story [heise.de] (German Site) and the Office of Public Prosecutor came...

sex pistols

[xPsi]

would be happy with the (apparent?) hypocrisy of EMI [lyricsfreak.com]:
Don't judge a book by the cover
Unless you cover just another
And blind acceptance is a sign
Of stupid fools who stand in line
Like
E.m.i

Re:Shit like this happens all the time.

[king-manic]

One writer I know got seriously pissed when her publisher's parent company gave google permission to include her entire book in google books. No, they didn't have the rights required to do that. Did they care? Not really, no.

Depending on how the laws are interpreted in the future, Google didn't have to ask permission to archive, index and present excerpts of her book for search purposes as it is generally accepted to fall within research based fair use rights. It's a huge deal in the book industry and library industry but legally it's mostly going in Googles favor. Should it become possible to take more then small excerpts then Google might be in trouble but generally Google attract business so your friend may want to investigate how Google effects her fortunes.

Not to say the issue has been decided. I think litigation is ongoing.

Re:We all knew this..

[MightyMartian]

To paraphrase Joni Mitchell, the record companies used to be owned by greedy bastards who liked music, now they're just owned by greedy bastards.

This is what happens when the accountants and lawyers seize complete control, and the old-fashioned A&R guys are basically put in the position of the quickest bang for the buck. The record companies, by and large, are parts of big vast corporate machines owned by shareholders that could care less whether they made records, washing machines or F14 landing gear. Some guy up on the nine-millionth floor Big Bloated Monster Corp. says "the unit that owns recording and condom manufacturering isn't performing well this quarter, what's the explanation?" "Well, Mr. President of Big Bloated Monster Corp., people seem to be fucking less and there's this Internet download thing." "Get the lawyers. Sue everyone who downloads music and doesn't fuck."

Re:Seriously,

[SiChemist]

There are mistakes and there are "mistakes". Did you read the post on Fripp's blog? He says:

A general comment on large record companies: inefficiency in departments can rarely be remedied by outside parties who lose because of it. This is a full-time job, is very expensive, a major distraction from the creative life, and almost wholly a negative experience. This is the good news.

The bad news: this is known by the company, and allowed for within its operating structure. That is, efficiency is not seen as being in the direct interest of the record company - because it profits from its carelessness.

If this is true then at the very least EMI is deliberately not carefully accounting for the music they sell-- because they profit from sloppy accounting. In any other industry, this would be considered fraud. Somehow, the record labels can get away with it.

Re:Seriously,

[MacWiz]

You appear to be very concerned with accounting chicanery on behalf of the record companies -- as well you should be, particularly if you are a signed artist. But I am not sure how it is germaine.

This story actually comes from Robert Fripp's diary. [dgmlive.com], "On this day, specifically, the EMI audit."

The entire story is about accounting "chicanery" at EMI. Unsigned artists need to be aware of this more than the signed artists, who already know but it was too late when they found out. They had already signed.

What is not germaine is the past insignificant history of the RIAA. The RIAA equalization curve is a straight line. The gold records are spray-painted.

Re:Seriously,

[sm62704]

Geezer song explained:
In the '70s, the word "straight" meant not "heterosexual", but "drug-free". A homosexual was straight if he was sober, and heterosexual wasn't straight if he was stoned. As to "late", well, you're all nerds and have all met Slartibartfast.

The song is about tripping on acid, which often made one think he was dead or dying. The LSD experience is such that you can no more explain it to someone who has never dropped acid than you can explain the color red to a man blind at birth. I Talk To The Wind (on the album referenced by the parent poster) is an attempot to explain the color red to a man blind from birth.

; Said the straight man to the late man
Where have you been
Ive been here and Ive been there
And Ive been in between.

I talk to the wind
My words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
The wind does not hear
The wind cannot hear.

Im on the outside looking inside
What do I see
Much confusion, disillusion
All around me.

You dont possess me
Dont impress me
Just upset my mind
Cant instruct me or conduct me
Just use up my time

I talk to the wind
My words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
The wind does not hear
The wind cannot hear.

-mcgrew [mcgrew.info]