U2's Manager Calls For Mandatory Disconnects For Music Downloaders 658
sleeplesseye writes "In a speech at the Midem music industry convention in Cannes, Paul McGuinness, longtime manager of the band U2, has called on Internet service providers to immediately introduce mandatory French-style service disconnections to end music downloading, and has urged governments to force ISPs to adopt such policies. McGuinness criticized Radiohead's 'In Rainbows' pay-what-you-want business model, saying that 'the majority of downloads were through illegal P2P download services like BitTorrent and LimeWire'. He also accused ISPs, telcos, device makers, and numerous specifically named companies such as Apple, Google, Yahoo!, Oracle, and Facebook of building 'multi billion dollar industries on the back of our content without paying for it', and of being 'makers of burglary kits' who have made 'a thieves' charter' to steal money from the music industry. The full text of his speech has been posted on U2's website."
In the name of love... (Score:4, Funny)
Hardly
Sure, sounds like a great idea (Score:5, Funny)
For the record, U2 has always sucked. Whiner music.
Oh yeah? (Score:3, Funny)
Continue downloading! (Score:2, Funny)
Tag as waahmbulance (Score:4, Funny)
Re:What a crock (Score:5, Funny)
TFA:
Wait! Why stop there? Creative Labs made my speakers and sound card! They're the ones enabling my illegal habits! Get 'em! It's about time they stop profitting of the backs of hardworking musicians. They didn't write ANY of the music! Oh and for god's sake can we please start charging Microsoft for allowing us to even install these P2P apps? For the longest time, Microsoft has profitted off the backs of artists by allowing this filth to be installed on their operating system!
And so on and so on. Seriously, grandpa, stop bitching, you're making your band look bad.
Uh... (Score:2, Funny)
Who are U2? (Score:4, Funny)
Best wishes,
Bob
Re:Hey Paul (Score:2, Funny)
Sorry, I'll take care of that for you. (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Oh yeah? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:What a crock (Score:5, Funny)
And we should shut down the recording companies who make those CDs that people are ripping to put on PSP networks.
hmmm, I actually kind of like where this is going.
But seriously, since when did ISP profit from content? I worked for an ISP at one point, and we didn't see a damn bit of money from content, all we got paid for was access to the Internet. Where we getting ripped off?
Summary of U2 Manager's Speech... (Score:5, Funny)
Oh, I cant close my eyes and make it go away
How long...
How long must they steal our songs?
How long? how long...
cause tonight...no sales of our song "One"
tonight... they're all downloading "One"
Tonight...
Broken models of our business bleat
Record execs thrown out on the street
And we won't make our earnings call
It puts my back up
Puts my back up against the wall
Pirate bay, bloody pirate bay
Pirate bay, bloody pirate bay...
Re:U2: Union Busters (Score:5, Funny)
"You can't treat the working man this way! One of these days we'll form a union, and get the fair and equitable treatment we deserve! Then we'll go too far, and become corrupt and shiftless, and the Japanese will eat us alive!"
--1920s version of the pimply-faced teenager, The Simpsons
Re:U2: Union Busters (Score:2, Funny)
Re:If we still had 14 or 23 year copyright... (Score:4, Funny)
Dude, she doesn't charge that much to get naked and drunk anymore.
Realpolitik (Score:3, Funny)
For U2, however, I will make an exception. I'd use Azureus and hurt them myself, but my broadband connection would start crying and go on strike at having to carry such shite.
The same goes for the film Lady In The Water. What a godawful piece of shit that movie is. I didn't even pay to see it and I want the ticket price back as compensation.