Rockers Form Group to Fight for Rights

Coalition aims to give UK bards more control over copyright
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 4, 2008 4:41 AM CDT
Rockers Form Group to Fight for Rights
British band The Kaiser Chiefs perform at the Brit Awards 2008 in London, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008.    (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Dozens of British rock stars have joined together to form an organization that seeks more control over the music they create, the Guardian reports. The manifesto of the Featured Artists' Coalition calls for bands to have much more say over copyright—one of the issues that spurred founding members Radiohead to leave their label EMI last year and release a “pay what you can” album online.

Group members—which include Robbie Williams, Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour, the Kaiser Chiefs, and veteran leftist bard Billy Bragg—say the coalition will help prevent up-and-coming artists from getting shafted by record companies. Digital distribution has begun to shift the power balance, but artists are worried about new ventures like MySpace Music, which unites tech companies with major labels while denying musicians any part in the deal.

(More Radiohead stories.)

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