Band Puts Album on Pirate Bay to Protest Use as Evidence in Trial
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Last album was used to prosecute BitTorrent tracker site so uploads latest album to emphasize its refusal to be used in a war against their fans.
Hip hip group Advance Patrol is fighting back against the music industry’s use of its last album’s availability on Swedish BitTorrent tracker site The Pirate Bay as evidence in the landmark copyright infringement trial by uploading its latest album to the site.
“We never asked to be plaintiffs in this case,” explains Gonza from the group. “They used us as a weapon in a fight in which we don’t wish to participate. We refuse to be used in a war against our fans!”
The group recognizes that the people sharing its music are the ones who comprise its fanbase, and thinks its important to value that relationship not ruin it by suing them and demanding thousands of dollars in compensation.
“You cannot legislate away file sharing,” adds Gonza. “Those who share our music are also those who appreciate it the most. They are my friends, and friendship is something to be valued highly.”
To prove their commitment to their fans and protest the band’s use as evidence in the Pirate Bay trial it has decided to give away their latest album, “El Futuro,” for free by uploading it to the BitTorrent tracker site.
“We’re both proud and happy that we’re about to cooperate with Advanced Patrol concerning the distribution of their latest album,” says Brokep from The Pirate Bay.
Talk about making the music industry look bad.
Record labels repeatedly say they have the best interests of artists in mind when they target primarily young file-sharers of modest means, the demographic that comprises the heart and soul of the music biz, but have never actually sat down with most of the artists it claims to represent to see how they stand on the issue.
Artists like Billy Bragg of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) have argued that the music industry needs to find ways to “monetise their behaviour” not discourage it.
Advance Patrol and Bragg are among the many artists who don’t want to criminalize fans for simply wanting to hear their music.
Posting an album on the very site record labels claim is their enemy is the most succinct way of showing who the band thinks is most important - the fans at large. If record labels really cared about artists then they would try to give consumers what they want and when they want it. Isn’t that what a record label’s supposed to do?
