Legalise it: the Digital Music License - my presentation at OpenRights Group event in London

From today's OpenRights Group event in London. Here is the press release that goes along with this: 

Music industry expert to Mandelson: Legalise it! Media Futurist Gerd Leonhard says that musicians, labels and government need to focus on their wallets  rather than technology if they are to save music from the threat of illicit music downloads on the internet. Speaking ahead of the event, the “Future of Music / Stop Disconnection”, Gerd (who advises many of Europe ’s top InternetService Providers) said: "Music industry lobbyists are saying unpaid downloads are killing our business. In response, the UK government is now considering legislation that would allow people who illicitly download to be disconnected from the Net without a court process. This leaves many musicians scared and perplexed, some arguing for disconnection, others for their own fans to be restricted to dial up speed internet. Neither will see the artists or labels paid more or the relentless advance of online music sharing halted.”

 “Back when UK radio stations were not licensed to play music at all,  the arrival of the PPL (1934) and MCPS-PRS (1914) collective music licences opened the door for proper payment for music performed in public. We now need the government to legislate for music online, and mandate the creation of a Digital Music License that will put money into the pockets of the creators while giving the consumers what they want, at the same time.”
 
 

The Digital Music License & Music Like Water (Gerd Leonhard)

View more documents from Gerd Leonhard.

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Comments

[Busted Keys]

1.

thanks gerd for all your posts. although i am blessed to work at UMPG, the nature of how we're each compartmentalized to our specific job functions don't allow us to truly see the bigger picture at the same time. i, for one who works in the copyright department, should have a better clue about what's going on today. and each time i read your articles or view your presentations i feel i'm getting a better grasp of our plight.