MECA Conference Offers Insights to Artist, Songwriters and Music Industry Reps

INDIE NEWS BEAT

April 12, 2004 Edition
* Should Digital Copying Be Treated As Terrorism?
* Music Community Rallies to Save Canadian Music
* Global Music Sales Fall By 7.6% In 2003
* Unsigned Bands Selected For Opening Act
* MusicDish Network & Latin Cool To Bring Latin Stars Online
* Austin Music Foundation Takin' It To The Streets
* Ashcroft Announces Creation Of IP Task Force
* Sophie B. Hawkins Goes To Court
* Indie Artist Radio Is Hotter Than Ever
* MCA Universal Producers To Audition Talent

Should Music, Video Or Software Copying Be Treated As Terrorism?

ALCEI Statement on Italian decree-law enforcing criminal sanctions against P2P user, forces ISP to control and prosecute users, put encryption outlaw

The decree-law issued by the Italian government on March 12, 2004 adds to an already long list of laws and rules that, with a variety of pretexts, interfere with freedom and personal rights.

Its alleged purpose is to "urgently intervene on matters of cultural goods and properties". It does nothing that relates to such objectives and of course there is no "urgency", except for the government's desire to put the rules in place before they are discussed in parliament.

The original draft of this decree included some of the messy rulings on data retention that had been placed in the December 24, 2003 decree (that became a law on February 26, 2004, with a few mild amendments in parliament that don't change its substance see the ALCEI statement on that matter.) They were removed before the new decree was issued. Repressive regulation now comes from another angle: unnecessary and improper "innovation" on the already distorted and warped legislation on copyright. Introducing additional restrictions and violations of personal and human rights.

This decree-law is a messy and poisonous mixture of unrelated issues, treating peer-to-peer sharing of music, video or software with criteria that were conceived to fight terrorism. The result is useless, ineffective and dangerous.

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Music Community Rallies to Save Canadian Music

One of the biggest topics of conversation at the Juno Awards and all the surrounding Juno events last weekend was that Canadian Music funding from the government is in jeopardy.

In the Canadian Music Industry, our reality and agenda is to be a viable force domestically and internationally and to ensure we support our artists and industry from within first and foremost, while at the same time giving the Canadian consumer what they want.

On March 31st, 2005, the Department of Canadian Heritage's contract with FACTOR (The Foundation To Assist Canadian Talent On Record) expires, and without this program being renewed, the Canadian Music Industry is in serious jeopardy. This expiration of funds will affect absolutely every facet of the music industry in Canada.

During the on-air broadcast of the Juno Awards artist after artist thanked FACTOR for their support and sported "Save Canadian Music" buttons. Helene Scherrer, Minister of Canadian Heritage, pledged she would do everything in her power to "continue funding for many years to come".

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Global Music Sales Fall By 7.6% In 2003

World sales of recorded music fell by 7.6% in value in 2003, the year-on-year decline slowed by a stronger second half in the US market, combined with resilient sales in the UK.

The decline affected virtually all major markets, with Western Europe showing particularly sharp falls compared to recent years. Sales in Germany were down 19% in 2003 and down by more than 30% in value since 1999. Denmark, France, Sweden, Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Switzerland also experienced double digit declines. Year on year, the industry has suffered global losses of 20% over the three years since 2000.

Positive signs include more robust album sales in the US - thanks partly to a strong end-of-year release schedule - and a global rise in music DVD sales. DVD music video now accounts for 5.7% of global retail revenue compared to 3.1% in 2002. These factors helped restrict a global downturn in CD sales, which at the six-month point had been down 10.9% in value.

The recording industry is meanwhile making significant progress in creating an online music business. US-based services achieved downloads of 19.2 million in the second half of 2003. In Europe, around 30 legitimate services offered upwards of 300,000 tracks for download in 2003. Legitimate online music services also operate in Canada, Australia, Latin America and Asia Pacific.

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The Canadian Value Of Music Coalition And Harris Institute For The Arts Announce The Opening Act Results

The Canadian Value of Music Coalition (CVOMC) and Toronto's Harris Institute for the Arts announced today the results of their national talent competition, Opening Act. 12 songs by unsigned artists/bands have been chosen and will be featured on www.keepmusiccoming.com.

Launched late in 2003, Opening Act gave unsigned artists and bands an opportunity to submit their best original song to the competition. Confidential Records (a non-profit label operated by Harris students) evaluated the entries: assessing each song's originality, production quality, overall performance and the quality of musical composition. This covered melody, lyrics, hook, production and saleability.

"It was a tough competition," reflects Kevin Shea, instructor at Harris Institute. "The students had a hard time deciding on the final 12 tracks - it goes to show that Canada really is a hot-spot for up-and-coming musicians!"

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MusicDish Network & Latin Cool To Bring Latin Stars Online

Digital download store Latin Cool NOW and the MusicDish Network have announced a partnership that will help fill the void of readily-available legal Latin music downloads and content. Leveraging its network of over 200 affiliated music sites, the MusicDish Network will launch a dedicated series of original Latin-based web programs promoting Latin Cool NOW's catalogue of 12,000 tracks from the best known names in Latin Music.

Latin-based web programs will offer webmasters multimedia-rich features on hard to find recordings by legendary Artists of Latin music such as Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Orquesta Aragon, Tito Rodriguez, Joe Cuba Sextet, Beny More, Arsenio Rodriquez, La Lupe, Machito, Charlie Palmieri and many more. Also, the collaborative works of today's stars, such as Omar Sosa, Larry Harlow, Chris Washburne, Andrea Brachfeld, Bobby Sanabria, Chucho Valdes and Irakere, are available.

Music fans will be able to listen to and download exciting independent bands such as Wendell Rivera, LA Carpool, Mambo Negro, The Mambo Kings, Salsamba, The Bronx Horns and Long John Oliva. In addition, an extensive collection of Jazz, both new and classic is presently being catalogued.

"Latin music has never enjoyed the success online that it has offline," noted MusicDish Network Producer Eric de Fontenay. "We already know from our six year experience with 'LA'Ritmo.com that fans crave original content on their favorite artists. By combining Latin Cool NOW's extensive digital catalogue and our own web music network, we will be able to reach out to a much broader audience than is possible for any one download store."

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Austin Music Foundation Takin' It To The Streets With Spotlight Series

The Austin Music Foundation announced today its inaugural Spotlight Series, a very special live music event which will take place on Saturday May 8th, 2004. The event will feature 34 live bands on 7 stages at the following 5 venues in the Red River district: Stubb's BBQ, Emo's, Red Eyed Fly, Caucus Club and Headhunters. The Spotlight Series joins together local artists and music fans to promote and celebrate Austin and its music.

"The Austin Music Foundation (AMF) is very excited about this event. The Spotlight Series will be a music festival where AMF gives center-stage to Austin's artists across a variety of musical genres and styles, featuring both recognized and up-and-coming talent," says AMF co-founder Nikki Rowling. "Our mission is to give music fans a unique event that presents a wide array of great music. This is Austin music for Austin fans!"

The AMF is a non-profit music organization, currently with over 2000 members formed in 2002 with a goal of uniting, igniting and revolutionizing the local Austin music community. It offers programs such as Music Industry Boot Camp, an educational seminar series and the nationally acclaimed Austin Music Incubator program which gives selected artists a combination of financial assistance, training, and mentoring to record and market new material. The current Incubator artists are WideAwake, Tucker Livingston, and Overlord.

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Attorney General Ashcroft Announces Creation Of Intellectual Property Task Force

Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the creation of the Intellectual Property Task Force, which will examine all aspects of how the Department of Justice handles intellectual property issues and develop recommendations for future activity.

David M. Israelite, Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Attorney General, will lead the Intellectual Property Task Force.

"Today's establishment of the Intellectual Property Task Force is a milestone in the Justice Department's efforts to protect intellectual property rights," said Attorney General John Ashcroft. "I have asked the Task Force to look at ways the Department can strengthen and improve our efforts to combat theft of intellectual property."

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Sophie B. Hawkins Goes To Court

In taking control of her career, Sophie B. Hawkins is prepared to take on not only the music industry, but also the people who are corrupting it. When her lawyers cease and desist letters had no effect, Sophie decided to take the case in her own hands by filing in Santa Monica small claims court. The singer, songwriter and musician is headed to court this Tuesday (April 13) to get back the $300 she paid to retrieve an advance copy of her Wilderness CD that was put up on an Internet auction five months ahead of its release.

"I am hoping to send the message that as a songwriter you need to take action every time a CD is illegally sold," Hawkins said. "It is not about the money, it's about the principle and putting a message out there. My fan paid $300.00 for this record and I am going to get his money back and buy him a copy of my CD and send it to him. I appreciate the fans; they shouldn't be ripped off, and neither should I."

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Success In Internet Radio: Indie Artist Radio Is Hotter Than Ever

Internet radio broadcaster, RadioDevil.com, is pleased to announce the launch of IndieArtistRadio.com to coincide with their newfound independence from parent company Devil Entertainment. To better serve the independent music and film community, Devil Entertainment will remain an Independent Film company and the RadioDevil Group. will focus solely on Independent Music.

James Wilson, CEO and President of RadioDevil Group., assures the same quality music and content that has brought RadioDevil.Com to its success as an Independent Radio Network, and adds that this is a great opportunity to expand the Music Industry and focus on the best music being produced today while maintaining our overwhelming support for indie artists worldwide.

Indie Artist Radio/RadioDevil Group. has wasted no time in following up on their commitment to continue their support of indie artists after their separation from the Devil Entertainment Group. Earlier this week The RadioDevil Group. announced their newest release, BandJams.com, scheduled for full release on May 1, 2004.

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MCA Universal Producers To Audition Talent

Hollywood . Nashville . New York - Three of MCA Universal's most legendary producers will be in Lone Tree, Colorado to audition talent at the American Music Auditions showcase event to be held there on May 12th-16th [Five Days Only]. Robert Metzgar, Charles E Fach Jr. and Tony Migliore, all producers in the exciting world of rock, pop, country, bluegrass, R & B and gospel music will judge a special series of artist appearances during five days of music, fun and festivities surrounding one of Denver Colorado's most notable night spots, the Avalon Event Center & Nightclub.

The event will be held at "The Avalon Event Center & Nightclub" located at 9535 Park Meadows Drive, Lone Tree, CO 80124 and will be hosted by Colorado music promoter Michael "Caddy" Cadwell. A short 5-minute drive from downtown Denver, the Avalon is the hottest concert nightclub in Denver's south central business district. With 25,000 square feet, VIP rooms, multiple bars, and a special showcase room, this event will be one you will want to attend.

This showcase will give the three judges a chance to see aspiring new singer/songwriters and give potential artists and songwriters the opportunity to get in front of some of the greatest producers in music history. These outstanding and influential record label Executives will give each artist an opportunity to personally visit with them about their career. Charlie Fach is credited with making Jerry Lee Lewis, Roger Miller and Kool & The Gang household words in America. Charles E Fach was Sr. Vice-President of Mercury/Polygram in New York for 23 years and was responsible for signing Shania Twain, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Brown, Rod Stewart, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and Kool & the Gang.

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