From objet Sent Mon, Jan 11th 1999, 19:17
From objet Sent Mon, Jan 11th 1999, 19:17
So it's 7:20 AM, and the phone rings.
My wife wakes up first and answers it, which is not fun in itself
because sleep is a precious ('limited edition,' as it were) commodity
around here.
It's for me.
Crackling phone line, some cat most likely from the UK (accent) on the
other end with a simple message:
'Hey, is this Christian?'
'Yes.'
'O.K., stop fucking ripping off our music, understand?'
...at which point I try to explain succinctly to the caller (Masked
Musician? Andy Maddocks of Skam?) that the CDR trade he's referring to
is not being done for profit by any *stretch* of the imagination.
A few other toasted CDRs of a wide range of bands? Not even enough extra
money coming from purchasers of the set to subsidize extra blank discs
for those who are trading? This can hardly be called a bootlegger's
profit.
This suggestion, that someone might be copying their material not for
bootlegger's profit but simply because it's *good* music (music they're
economic fools about, inasmuch as they're not making it more readily
available) leaves the caller either incredulous or completely confused.
'Just stop ripping off our fucking music.'
Click.
O.K. --- Now, can anyone tell me where the following is written on any
of the Mask labels or packaging?
"(c) xxxxx, 1998. All Rights Reserved. All duplication is a violation of
applicable laws."
Good luck looking, because you won't find it. Now, does that mean that
such a warning simply goes without saying?
I bought this material, and once it's become my property, it simply has
become my property, n'est-ce pas? That's why I pay extra taxes on my all
digital audio equipment & tapes: to subsidize the fact that I'm
essentially allowed to do whatever the hell I want with these recordings
once I've purchased them.
In any event, we could indulge in sophistry to no end about all this,
but the fact remains that irrespective of questions of rights, I've
offended somebody. That's why the trade is closing.
But I ask you, you who phoned me: Do you think William S. Burroughs
objected to pirate printings of 'Naked Lunch' or that Vladimir Nabokov
did the same with reference to 'Lolita' when they were banned for
commercial sale in the United States? Short answer: NO. The fact that
there were bootleg copies of each book floating around when commercial
availability wasn't possible indicated something important: that these
writers were masters of their craft who demanded to be heard. The
cultivation of an artistic reputation is worth more than money -- even
someone as preciously dim as Andy Warhol knew that.
In short, taking simple a tip from the last track on Mask 400:
"Where the money can't be fucking up your generation?"
IDM-People: Judging solely from this morning's call, I wouldn't be
surprised if the Mask folks have their hand in these absurd auctions.
And even if they don't (let's be reasonable), you can be damn sure that
they *wish* they did.
And as for the CDR trade putting a dent in future potential sales of an
official Mask compilation CDS?
*I'd* buy one. And I'm the one who mastered the damn CDRs.
peace
sr
--
sd