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File-sharing case worries Indie artists

Tuesday, June 28, 2005 | 12:45 PM

Want to have a better idea of what the MGM v. Grokster case is really about? Have a look at this:

"Recording industry executive Andy Gershon sees opportunity in the online file-sharing networks that most of his rivals decry as havens for music pirates. As president of V2 Records, home to such established acts as The White Stripes and Moby, Gershon mines such Internet distribution channels for new fans and revenues.

"The cat is so far out of the bag and so far gone that it's pointless to keep fighting it," Gershon said. "I might as well make as many people fans of our music, whether they illegally download it or not."

A number of mostly independent recording artists and labels have experimented with and embraced the freewheeling digital distribution that the Internet affords. And many worry that a victory by major recording companies in a landmark file-sharing case now before the U.S. Supreme Court could short-circuit the very technologies that they believe are making a more level playing field of the music business."

I'll have more on this subject shortly.

Source:
File-sharing case worries Indie artists
Alex Veiga
Associated Press, 3/25/2005 8:44 AM (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2005-03-25-indie-file-sharing_x.htm?csp=34