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Prince sues his own fans
nathanbrazil
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According to to the BBC (other news outlets are available) the artist once again known as Prince is suing his own fans!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25927363
Prince has a $22m (£13m) legal action against 22 people for posting copies of live performances online.
As always, there are two sides to this. Yes, technically, the uploaders have infringed his copyright, and if he really wants to go down this route, a slap on the wrist might be appropriate. But, looking at it another way, as far as I can make out these uploaders aren't making money from Prince's songs, and have uploaded purely because they love his music. In a way, they are helping to promote his work using what I imagine to be less than stellar quality live recordings.
I can't speak for any of those concerned, but as a Prince fan myself, I'm now thinking what a mean little fellow he's become, starting actions that will literally ruin peoples lives. People who have likely bought plenty of his official works in the past. I was looking forward to buying the new Prince work, when it's released, but now I don't know if I can be bothered to help fund his lawyers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25927363
Prince has a $22m (£13m) legal action against 22 people for posting copies of live performances online.
As always, there are two sides to this. Yes, technically, the uploaders have infringed his copyright, and if he really wants to go down this route, a slap on the wrist might be appropriate. But, looking at it another way, as far as I can make out these uploaders aren't making money from Prince's songs, and have uploaded purely because they love his music. In a way, they are helping to promote his work using what I imagine to be less than stellar quality live recordings.
I can't speak for any of those concerned, but as a Prince fan myself, I'm now thinking what a mean little fellow he's become, starting actions that will literally ruin peoples lives. People who have likely bought plenty of his official works in the past. I was looking forward to buying the new Prince work, when it's released, but now I don't know if I can be bothered to help fund his lawyers.
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"The defendants in this case engage in massive infringement and bootlegging of Prince's material.
"For example, in just one of the many takedown notices sent to Google with respect to Doe 2 (aka DaBang319), Prince identified 363 separate infringing links to file-sharing services, with each link often containing copies of bootlegged performances of multiple separate musical compositions."
from which it appears they are not simply "posting copies of live performances online".
I am a fan, and like Prince for his music, nothing more nothing less.
It seems to me that these people did just upload bootlegs, which were then linked to by other sites.
Prince has to do it himself, because he isn't signed to a label, but do other artists do it via their record companies.
Sure, his music has been great, and may be great again, after a long period of rather sub-standard stuff. As proven by the most recent releases from Bowie and McCartney, there can be life in old dogs.
That said, any artist - in particular a major artist - is more than the sum of his works. How he/she conducts themselves, what they say in public, what issues they support, etc, etc, all contibute.
Yes, Prince should have the right to protect his commercial works, including some kind of punishment for these uploaders. However, reasonable censure for their actions is not what seems to be happening. Rather, it's a very rich man using his financial power to ruin the lives of people who acted, not to make money, but from enthusiasm for his works. This, from someone who in the past has given away his own material in newspaper promotions!
Prince, was the Bowie of the 80's, constantly reinventing himself, and always surprising us with great music. Inspirational, influential and effortlessly entertaining. A true icon of rock.
Then he had terrible misfortune in his personal life, major disputes with record companies, and 'got' religion badly. Prior to this latter involvement, Prince had always include a religious element to his work, but it was something that added to rather than detracted from the music. Now, he seems to be rather against celebrating sex in music, or swearing.
Yes, they are a long established part of rock 'n' roll. Record companies might not like them, but most bands either tollerate such things or understand that bootlegs, when its fan to fan and not for money, are useful promo.
Prior to Prince using a sledge hammer to crack a nut, I can only vaguely recall a heavy metal band, I think it was Metallica, having a serious pop at their own fans for live recordings. Everyone else way way too cool.
But seriously, he got some negativity for Youtube and all of those types things and I don't understand why.
Thus proving my earlier point. If the 'offenders' in question had been actually counterfeiting Prince products, (making up CD's and selling as if they were the genuine article) then I can understand the fuss. But, people so keen on his music that they want to spread the word - and aren't making any money from this - do not deserve to have their lives ruined.
No idea what the new stuff sounds like, and at this point my interest is seriously waning.
But, what I will say is that Prince has always been one of those characters than can do nothing of note for years, then turn it on again. A few others being Kate Bush, Bowie and McCartney. Their work is all over Utube, and is clearly seen as of promotional use.
This is the very definition of irony: a few years ago, his record label got YouTube to pull videos of him performing Creep on copyright grounds. Even though the copyright to the song is owned by internet-loving Radiohead.
Hilarious stuff.
Plus, he can't do anything to those who aren't in US or UK. Europe has different view on copyright and different rules.