One of the hallmark absurdities of the Copyright Wars has been the claims by major corporate record labels that your average
file sharing Joe exploits musicians and has been responsible for the "death of the music industry." Of course, what the music executives call
the "death of an industry" is really just the end of their fat paydays at the expense of the musicians they claim to promote. Historically, there has been no worse exploiter of musicians in the modern era than the corporations who claim to represent their interests. We've all seen the
VH1 Behind the Music specials filled with stories of bands being tossed into the pop culture meat grinder, overexposed,
underinformed, pressured to sign away ownership of their music. The misery of the corporate music grist mill makes for good punchlines and a sexy nihilistic, "have a good time all the time" vibe. But the reality isn't quite so pretty. At the end of the day, you've got a burnt out, played out, broke, pop culture cast off, instead of an artist.
But the times and technology has changed- and the Pirate Party wants to help! The emergence of net culture, social networks, and affordable (or free) high quality production software have created the perfect storm to wrest creative control and financial mastery of the music industry out of the hands of corporate executives, and to return that power back into the hands of artists. The
USPP wants to play a small part to help musicians adapt to this new technological and financial reality. So we're putting together a little
Myspace profile to help promote artists on a rotating basis through all our Pirate media outlets. Shows, albums, festivals, whatever! The
USPP wants to be part of the solution, instead of part of the problem (
RIAA)!
Here's a blurb from the
Myspace wall below. We're still shaping the site, so expect it to be a work in progress. You can find the link in the "Pirate Links" list. Suggestions welcome!
"The United States Pirate Party loves music! We seek to promote independent musicians through different and creative alternatives to the traditional model of exploitation at the hands of corporate labels. Through a synergy of politics and art, the
USPP wants to fill seats, sell tickets, and get the party started! If you're a band that wants their music featured on Pirate media outlets, drop us a line!
Arghhhh! The United States Pirate Party loves music! We seek to promote independent musicians through different and creative alternatives to the traditional model of exploitation at the hands of corporate labels. Through a synergy of politics and art, the
USPP wants to fill seats, sell tickets, and get the party started! If you're a band that wants their music featured on Pirate media outlets, drop us a line!
Arghhhh"
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