A message from Paul Williams, President of ASCAP

THE ASCAP LEGISLATIVE FUND FOR THE ARTS

Randy B.

bapu


Wow,

You're on first name basis with a guy that was on the Muppets show.

Yeah, good ol' Paul and I go way back.  I used to be Kermit's stand-in, met Paul when he did his guest star appearance.

Randy B.

It's a shame that the letter did not elaborate on the issue at hand... it leaves too much room for speculation and accusation.

best regards,
mike

Moshkiae


Hi,
 
What a total crock of merdeon!
 
Maybe they should ask for a donation from the very people that are cruising off the money ... instead of people that actually gain absolutely nothing from it.
 
And for the record, ASCAP and BMI have not handled their job with care, attention, detail, and ... above all, protect the songwriters themselves. For over 50 years, that institution has been nothing but an escuse to fatten up the bigger bands for the record companies, and it has done nothing to help and protect new folks and bands and work!
 
But it will stand up for the one making the millions!
 
Sorry. Take this drivel and shove it. I know I can be stuck up sometimes, but letters like that make me puke! ... it would be much more honorable to receive a Dear John letter from Bapu!
 
 
 

So, no real opinion on that then Pedro?

Interesting - Considering how thrilled more and more people are to give their music away online, I figured there would be some opposite opinions expressed.  But I didn't expect all the reaction (so far) to be totally negative.

It probably is too much to expect people to agree on courses of action, even when they have a common cause.  But of course that just makes the possibility of positive change even more difficult to achieve, and their common cause weaker.

About ASCAP, it was said on this thread, "... it has done nothing to help and protect new folks and bands and work..."  Well, that's blatantly false.  Why do my ASCAP friends enjoy some nice sized royalty payments which would have escaped them if they weren't members of this performing rights society?  Of course one thing those people have in common that I'm thinking about, is that they write actual music, they're not pasting together loops and ripped off bits from online to pawn off as something supposedly original.

This is my first post in the Coffee House.  I usually only visit the Sonar Forum - and I thought it get rowdy there!  Kind of fun here though.

Randy B.

Oh yeah, no one cares about your DAW specs here.

Well... except for Mooch.

bapu


Oh, it's been rowdy on occasion here.

Mostly low key though.

Well.... except for Mooch.

rbowser


hehe--I'll definitely be looking around the Coffee House more now...

Then you'll have to take the hat off Randy   
 
 
 
 
We're all sticklers for good manners down here in the arse end of the Cakewalk forums Coffee House 
 
 
 
 
And the beard will have to go too.
 
 
Nothing to do with manners.... it's just too well kempt
 
 
Unless it looks like Bapu's:  
 
 
 
 
 

Hi, Crg - Hmm, I don't know how it can be said that the rights of creators and copyright holders aren't in limbo.  That's been The Issue for quite a few years now, and because of the power of the internet, people become more and more glib at assuming they can get and have a right to get whatever they want, get it now, get it free, with not much concern for the creators they rip off.  Napster on down, and now we have musicians who feel its a privilege to have a place online where they can give away the fruits of their labor for free, with the very possibly naive notion that "at least it's out there - if people will like it, maybe I'll eventually be compensated."

"...this article is pure propaganda and huge mistake by whoever put it out..."

ASCAP put it out.  Paul Williams, the songwriter, is the current President, and whether or not he wrote the text, he signed it.  That letter outlines what the organization's biggest push currently is.  As an ASCAP member I get emails from them, this one came this morning, knew it'd be interesting to share here.

Randy B.

rbowser


THE ASCAP LEGISLATIVE FUND FOR THE ARTS

Randy B.

ASCAP is begging for money now?  That's ridiculous!  Not saying writers and copyright owners aren't owed their due, but they should be chasing after the labels that keep 90% of the profits away from the artists, not from the artists themselves!
 
 

I'm going to attempt to present the objections posted here to someone at ASCAP who could possibly care to write a response.  I'll try to get it to Paul Williams in fact.  Wouldn't that be interesting to hear what an official reply would be?  I think so.  - I know I can't hold my breath waiting for a reply, but I have a good record of getting through and getting responses from people who are difficult to reach.  If I get any sort of response, I'll post it here.

Randy B.

because of the power of the internet, people become more and more glib at assuming they can get and have a right to get whatever they want, get it now, get it free, with not much concern for the creators they rip off

Let's think way outside the box for a minute. Some people think music should be free (bizarre though that may be to assume that anything is free). But how is that fundamentally different from other people assuming they should be paid for making music? Both are unquestioned truths within those respective groups' paradigms.

Music isn't like most commodities. It's more like cooking than making cars, for example. Most people cook, even if most don't do it exceptionally well. Most people cook because they enjoy it. Relatively few are paid to do it. Is every cook automatically entitled to be paid? Even if all you do is sniff the air as you pass their kitchen? Even if the cook's specialty is frozen Ding Dongs? (That's a jab at loopers and remixers, in case I'm getting too metaphorical).

Or consider prostitution as another analogy. Again, something everybody does, everybody thinks they're better than average at it, and relatively few are paid to do it. Is everybody on the planet entitled to a hundred dollar bill on the nightstand?

Imagine an alternate reality in which the job of "professional musician" does not exist. People make music because they enjoy it. They give it away because a big part of the enjoyment comes from making others happy. This isn't Bizarro World, some unimaginable alternate dimension. This is the world as it was for millenia prior to the invention of recording.

Just thinkin' out loud, not trying to convince anybody of anything. Full disclosure: I do get paid to make music and have never declined said payment on philosophical grounds.

the threat posed by the Salvation Army

I've been suspicious of them for years!

The problem with ASCAP and others is they are actually Guilds. Guilds tend to become gatekeepers and ultimately gatekeepers tend to seriously inhibit innovation, while maintaining a small pool of concentrated power and wealth that is nearly impossible for others to access.

I understand the premise and purpose of guild and unions, but for me, they are the equivalent of using evil to fight evil.

"...they are the equivalent of using evil to fight evil..."

Tell that to the seamstresses in sweatshops all over the world making pennies a day so we can wear our over-priced fashions.

Tell that to the actors before The Screen Actor's Guild was formed, and they worked non-stop through the night, did their own stunts, and did it all for whatever whimsical amount the studio deigned to pay them.

---omg, am I finding out that I'm surrounded by Republicans here like at the other Forums.  Heeeeeeeelp meeeeee!

Randy B.