................................. To leave Commie, hyper to http://commie.oy.com/commie_leaving.html ................................. ===================================================================== THE STANDARD'S M E D I A G R O K A Commentary on What the Press Is Reporting and Why ===================================================================== | http://www.thestandard.com | Wednesday, April 4, 2001 TOP GROKS ~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to the Hotel Senate Judiciary Nothing got done, but everyone had something to say at Tuesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the now-lukewarm topic of digital music. The 70 or so Napster fans allowed into the hearing also got to do a little stargazing as the unlikely duo of Don Henley and Alanis Morissette talked about online tunes. "For the majority of artists, this so-called 'piracy' may have actually been working in their favor," said Canadian Morissette. Isn't it ironic? The more salient point made by the celebrities was that musicians haven't been properly represented - not just by Napster & Co., but by the labels. "My colleagues and I are concerned that artists do not have rights to direct remuneration for interactive services," said Henley, scolding the labels. Morissette declared, a bit more ominously, "History has not been kind to artists who have candidly expressed points of view that differ with those of the record company." Is the RIAA squirming yet? Napster CEO Hank Barry may have made up for the musicians' barbs with the admission, "Things are still available through the service that shouldn't be." The Wall Street Journal played up Barry's not-so-shocking confession of Napster contraband while some other outlets pounced on his request for congressional intervention. (Yes, Napster now wants the law on its side.) Barry requested - and a few senators seemed to support - the creation of a compulsory license for compensating copyright-holders, like the licenses now used for radio stations and cable TV. Such a license would free Napster from the burden of making deals with individual labels and songwriters, but committee chair and Napster fan Orrin Hatch seemed unenthusiastic. Then Hatch made some analogy to the Orphan Drug Act of 1983, said Inside, and "none of the nine panelists or any of the other Senators on the committee evinced any understanding of what Senator Hatch was talking about." Hatch was more lucid on the subject of MusicNet, the upcoming major -label online music service. According to the Wall Street Journal, Hatch noted that the formation of the service was announced a day before the hearing, and asked, "Do I have to hold a hearing every week?" The New York Times quoted another pointed exchange. Richard Parsons of AOL Time Warner said "progress is being made," and Hatch replied, "Yes, but it seems to be slow in the making." Then Parsons uttered what the Times called "perhaps the most honest testimony of the day:" "Frankly, we're all in business to make money. ... We are working through the complexities." Less complex but probably no more effective than the labels' wrangling is the RIAA's latest anti-Napster campaign. "As part of a don't-do-that- pleasurable-thing effort reminiscent of Nancy Reagan's 'Just Say No' antidrug campaign," reported TheStreet.com, "the Recording Industry Association of America has launched an anti-Napster Web site called 'Nofreelunchster.com.'" And we all know how well "Just Say No" worked. - Jen Muehlbauer Turning the Tables http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,23309,00.html?nl=mg Microsoft Jumps Into Digital-Music Fray http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,23332,00.html?nl=mg Congress Wrestles With Web Music http://www.msnbc.com/news/553987.asp Napster Looks for Relief From the U.S. Senate but Is Largely Rebuffed http://www.inside.com/jcs/Story?article_id=27782&pod_id=9 Senators Criticize Record Industry, Napster For Delaying Easy Delivery of Online Music http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB986332992118576501.htm (Paid subscription required.) Senators Hear Debate About Online Music http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/04/technology/04MUSI.html (Registration required.) Desperado Storms Capitol Hill http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5463148.html Napster CEO: Let It Be - Update http://www.washtech.com/news/media/8802-1.html Music Industry to Napster Lovers: Just Say No http://www.thestreet.com/tech/internet/1375165.html Copyright 2001 Standard Media International
