<html><body><span style="font-family:Arial; color:#000000; font-size:10pt;"><div>I don't buy products from the Coca Cola Company because of their human rights record.</div>
<div>I don't buy products from GlaxoSmithKline because of their vivisection policies.</div>
<div>I don't buy products from Nestle because of their baby milk policies.</div>
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<div>And guess what: I don't buy music from major record labels because I object to the detrimental effect they have on music. Instead, I download (or stream for free, legally) music by those artists, then pay to see them live. Alternatively, as in the case of bands such as Ash and Radiohead, I pay to download the music direct from the band.</div>
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<div>The only argument against that is that I should instead completely boycott the artists signed to record labels because they did so by choice. And yet, if the record labels didn't exist, those artists would have greater choice to distribute their music how they wished, so that's not a sound argument because their 'choice' to sign for a record label is Hobson's choice and no mistake.</div>
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<div>Which is why, to get back to the original point of the thread, I don't see the point in boycotting or protesting against certain musicians.</div>
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<div >-------- Original Message --------<BR>Subject: Re: [pp.int.general] Protest certain musicians?<BR>From: "Christian Hufgard" <pp@christian-hufgard.de><BR>Date: Thu, October 29, 2009 12:01 pm<BR>To: "Pirate Parties International -- General Talk"<BR><pp.international.general@lists.pirateweb.net><BR><BR>> Which would be why I said "If you were self employed". You're comparing<BR>> artists to wage earners, employees of the record companies. Do you think<BR>> that's how they like to view themselves when they sign a record deal - as<BR>> an employee of the record company?<BR><BR>It doesn't matter what they want - they are employees. They sold their<BR>future work to the company.<BR><BR>> Being an employee of the record company would restrict their creativity<BR>> and freedom, would it not?<BR><BR>That's exactly they way it works.<BR><BR><BR>> I would therefore argue that being an employee of a company generally<BR>> allows one less freedom and creativity than being one's own boss. Thus,<BR>> the current music industry is run back-to-front, with record companies in<BR>> control where artists ought to be, and creativity and freedom is duly<BR>> reduced in the industry.<BR><BR>And because of that, you just copy music illegal? Because you do not like<BR>the way commercial music is sold? Listen to free music wouldn't be an<BR>alternative?<BR><BR><BR>> And if you don't believe me, look how long the sodding Black Eyed Peas<BR>> were number one in the USA.<BR><BR><BR>Mh?<BR><BR><BR>Christian<BR><BR>____________________________________________________<BR>Pirate Parties International - General Talk<BR>pp.international.general@lists.pirateweb.net<BR><a href="http://lists.pirateweb.net/mailman/listinfo/pp.international.general" target=_blank>http://lists.pirateweb.net/mailman/listinfo/pp.international.general</a><BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></span></body></html>