Members Of Pink Floyd, Radiohead Against The European Parliament

The Featured Artists Coalition board – including artists Sandie Shaw, Imogen Heap, Katie Melua (pictured) and members of Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Travis – has issued an urgent call to the European Parliament to include musicians’ rights as part of their milestone review of copyright rules.
Newcampaign Artists In Europe aims to ensure that protection for artists’ IP sits at the heart of the new legislation. It has been set up by the FAC and the International Artists Organisation (IAO), who collectively represent over 10,000 musicians from around the world.

To ensure a vibrant creative cultural music industry in the digital age, the FAC and IAO say it is essential that artists have:

Transparency through the music value chain so they can see what they are due
An enhanced duty of care from corporations so artists know their interests are protected
The right to a fair share of the total value generated by all online exploitation of artists’ music
Proper safeguarding of performer remuneration rights in the transition from radio to streaming, as part of the Fair Internet for Performers Coalition.

Paul Pacifico, CEO of the FAC, said: “To ensure a vibrant creative cultural music industry in the digital age, it is essential that the review of copyright currently underway in Europe puts the rights of creators and artists front and centre of any new legislation. If not, we stand to lose an essential part of our revenues. In the digital world, consumers are switching to digital and using on-demand streaming platforms to replace radio-like services. However, as consumers transition from old world to new, our remuneration rights fall away.  Unless we act now, we may lose them forever.”

Nick Mason added: “Artists are not looking to fight technology, or the fantastic access digital services and technology gives music fans. We want to foster innovation and push the uptake of these new and exciting opportunities for communication and creativity. However, we must make sure that the system pays back the artists of the future whose hard work and talent will make the services successful for the long term.”

The FAC and IAO are also asking fellow artists to:

Sign the Fair Internet For Performers petition
Tweet the hashtag #fairinternet
Make a short video supporting the campaign
Join them in Brussels to speak to politicians

Source: Music Week
Image Source: Creative Content