Clips for April

Here are the links to the audio interviews I have heard this month.

1. Billy Bragg Interview *** LANGUAGE WARNING***

The Register, Billy Bragg: Why should songwriters starve so others get rich? (11 April 2008) <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/11/billy_bragg/page2.html> at 17 April 2008

This interview with Billy Bragg follows on from his recent Op. Ed in the New York Times in which he discussed how artists should have been entitled to a proportion of the profits made from the sale of Bebo, a social networking site. He discusses how copyright laws are unable to keep up with technological developments but that there needs to be a principle established to ensure that artists are paid for providing content. Bragg suggests that much of the success of recent technology platforms such as MySpace and Imeem has been driven by music and that at the time these sites are set up artists agree to provide their works in exchange for free publicity, but then later when they are sold for extremely large amounts of money it is natural to question whether the artists have been given a good deal.

In acknowledging the challenges faced by artists in the digital environment he also notes the potential and the need to ensure that independent artists are able to support themselves from their craft and develop into professionals in their field. For artists to be able to do this there must be a system in place which enables them to record music and develop a community outside of their local area.

2. Future of Music Coalition interview with Peter Jenner current manager of Billy Bragg and Secretary General of the International Music Managers Forum
*** LANGUAGE WARNING***

Future of Music Coalition, Podcast Interview Series: Peter Jenner (23 April 2008)
<http://futureofmusiccoalition.blogspot.com/2008/04/podcast-interview-series-peter-jenner.html> at 28 April 2008

In this interview Peter Jenner discusses the original basis of copyright law - to provide incentives for artists - and how this has come under pressure in the digital age. He suggests that technology facilitates the making of music in new ways and in doing so creates an extension of our audible vocabulary. By having access to recorded music from around the world we are in fact gaining exposure to documented culture which becomes more comprehensible and familiar to us the more we are able to listen to it.

Jenner supports a compulsory licensing model for music on the internet. He suggests that whilst technology developers have a moral responsibility to ensure that new technologies enable a professional sector of artists to support themselves that the current problems in the industry are largely due to the major players trying to replicate the real space business models in the digital environment rather than adapt to it.

Jenner also raises the idea of an Artists Bill of Rights which is a proposal currently being explored in the UK. He suggests that the adoption of agreed standards with respect to artists’ rights is one way of addressing their current disadvantage. This would support the notion that artists should be entitled to retain the copyright in their creations and that those who seek to exploit the skills of an artist should be placed in an ‘artistic fiduciary relationship’ and therefore be accountable for making decisions that are in the best interests of the artists and their music, rather than just those that produce the best financial outcome.

He suggests that this is a very exciting time for music but to realise the true possibilities it is fundamental that artists be able to recover money for the expenses involved in writing and recording music and that greater attention be given to providing a career path for emerging and independent artists.