Music Creators Applaud Songwriters' P2P Proposal

Business News [12-08-2007]

Music Creators Applaud Songwriters' P2P Proposal

The Canadian Music Creators Coalition (CMCC) applauded the Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC) today for its innovative, forward-thinking proposal to provide Canadians with legal and affordable access to file-sharing services."This is the first progressive proposal we've seen in Canada to address file-sharing," said Andrew Cash, CMCC spokesperson. "It's telling that creators, the people who actually make the music being shared, are the people showing leadership and pushing for a made- in-Canada approach to file-sharing. We can only hope that the Canadian government will follow the Songwriters' lead and begin exploring alternatives to the failed 'locks, lawsuits and lobbying' strategy of the major labels."The publication of the Songwriters' proposal comes just days before the Government of Canada is expected to introduce copyright legislation, modeled on strict American laws. It's anticipated that the new legislation will give rights-holders new rights over both music recordings and the digital tools, such as digital rights management (DRM), used to lock up that music."We don't know if the Songwriters have all the answers," states CMCC member Steven Page, "but we do know that this proposal moves in the right direction. The Songwriters' proposal offers tremendous value to both consumers and rights-holders. The Songwriters have given us the framework to come together to talk about digital music. The CMCC wholeheartedly endorses the Songwriters' efforts, and looks forward to joining all Canadian stakeholders in considering the merits of this proposal."