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 The Verve, Radiohead, Jools Holland, Kaiser Chiefs, Kate Nash, Robbie Williams and Billy Bragg are among dozens of musicians and performers calling for changes to the law and record industry.
A new organisation, the Featured Artists’ Coalition will be launched tomorrow (Sunday 5 October 2008 at the music industry’s In The City
in Manchester) to campaign for the protection of performers’ and
musicians’ rights. Formed by some of the best-known names in music, the
Coalition will give artists the voice they need to argue for greater
control over their music.
Brian Message,
co-manager of Radiohead and Kate Nash said: “It is time for artists to
have a strong collective voice to stand up for their interests. The
digital landscape is changing fast and new deals are being struck all
the time, but all too often without reference to the people who
actually make the music. Just look at the recent MoU on file-sharing
between labels, government and the ISPs. Artists were not involved. The
Featured Artists’ Coalition will help all artists, young and old,
well-known or not, drive overdue change through the industry in their
interests and those of fans.”
To date, over 60 artists have joined the Coalition by signing its
founding Charter. These range from established artists like Radiohead,
The Verve, Craig David, Robbie Williams and the Kaiser Chiefs through
to newer acts like Kate Nash, The Futureheads and Sia. To read the
Featured Artists’ Coalition’s Charter or to see a video of some of the
artists who are part of the Coalition, visit www.featuredartistscoalition.com.
The
new organisation will campaign for specific changes to the laws
governing the music industry and how business is conducted, so that:
Jazz
Summers, manager of The Verve, said: “The Featured Artists' Coalition
is an organisation for artists, which will be run by artists. It will
ensure that in future the voice of artists is properly heard in
discussions with music and technology companies, trade organisations
and most importantly, with Government. It will also seek to improve the
treatment of artists within the business and campaign to update laws
and practices that better reflect the new music landscape. Digital
technology gives artists the opportunity to control their future - this
is the time to seize that opportunity.”
The
Featured Artists’ Coalition will expose unfair practices where
necessary and demand that music companies consult with artists on all
levels. It will give guidance to all artists on their rights and on how
best these should be exploited. The Coalition will begin by campaigning
for a series of changes (see Notes to Editors).
The Coalition will begin by focusing on six areas where it is seeking change:
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1.
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An
agreement by the music industry that artists should receive fair
compensation whenever their business partners receive an economic
return from the exploitation of the artists’ work.
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2.
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All transfers of copyright should be by license rather than by assignment, and limited to 35 years. |
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3.
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The making available right should be monetized on behalf of featured artistes and all other performers. |
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4.
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Copyright owners to be obliged to follow a ‘use it or lose it’ approach to the copyrights they control.
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5.
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The rights for performers should be the same as those for authors (songwriters, lyricists and composers).
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6.
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A
change to UK copyright law which will end the commercial exploitation
of unlicensed music purporting to be used in conjunction with ‘critical
reviews’
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•
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artists always retain ultimate ownership of their music
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•
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all agreements between artists and others are conducted in a fair and transparent manner
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•
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rights’
holders have a duty of care to the originator of those rights, and must
always explain how any agreement may affect how their work is exploited.
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