San Francisco - Grammy-winning songwriter and recording artist Janis Ian today challenged the music industry by celebrating peer-to-peer (P2P) music sharing as a boon to musicians.
Ian, who is in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of her current concert tour, recently published "The Internet Debacle," a pointed critique of the music industry's disregard for musicians and consumers who want to distribute and acquire music online. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) applauds Ian's actions and hopes that others will see the Internet as an aid, not a threat, to musicians.
In the article, Ian assails the major record labels' argument that P2P file-sharing is harming artists.
"Free Internet downloads are good for the music industry and its artists," explains Ian. "Every act that can't get signed to a major, for whatever reason, can reach literally millions of new listeners, enticing them to buy the CD and come to the concerts."
She adds that during the heyday of Napster she saw a marked increase in CD sales from her website. She attacks technological and political measures meant to harm consumers by restricting their right to copy and back up their legally purchased music.
Ian will play tonight in Saratoga, CA, and on August 17 in San Rafael, CA.
During her 17 album career, Ian has earned nine Grammy nominations and three awards. Her best known songs include 1967's "Society's Child" and 1975's "At Seventeen." More recently, her 1993 album "Breaking Silence" was nominated for a Grammy Award as Contemporary Folk Album of the Year. Her songs have been recorded by artists ranging from Bette Midler to Cher, from Glen Campbell to Vanilla Fudge, and from Joan Baez to Etta James.
For this release:
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/?f=20020815_eff_pr.html
Janis Ian's "Internet Debacle" article:
http://www.janisian.com/article-internet_debacle.html
Janis Ian's follow-up article:
http://www.janisian.com/article-fallout.html
Janis Ian's tour information:
http://www.janisian.com/tourinfo.html