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U2's Manager Calls For Mandatory Disconnects For Music Downloaders
sleeplesseye writes "In a speech at the Midem music industry convention in Cannes, Paul McGuinness, longtime manager of the band U2, has called on Internet service providers to immediately introduce mandatory French-style service disconnections to end music downloading, and has urged governments to force ISPs to adopt such policies. McGuinness criticized Radiohead's 'In Rainbows' pay-what-you-want business model, saying that 'the majority of downloads were through illegal P2P download services like BitTorrent and LimeWire'. He also accused ISPs, telcos, device makers, and numerous specifically named companies such as Apple, Google, Yahoo!, Oracle, and Facebook of building 'multi billion dollar industries on the back of our content without paying for it', and of being 'makers of burglary kits' who have made 'a thieves' charter' to steal money from the music industry. The full text of his speech has been posted on U2's website."
Hardly
I'll disconnect my internet connection if in turn you stop making music with that whiny Bono guy.
For the record, U2 has always sucked. Whiner music.
I downloaded and paid for In Rainbows. I'm going to sell my U2 CDs online. Screw U2.
Maybe then, finally, U2 will stop making music! *crosses fingers*
Seriously, someone needs to call the waahmbulance for this guy.
TFA: Its time for a new approach - time for ISPs to start taking responsibility for the content theyve profited from for years. I, for one, would not have an internet connection if it weren't for all those illegal downloads. Clearly verizon is proffiting off of illegal downloads.
Wait! Why stop there? Creative Labs made my speakers and sound card! They're the ones enabling my illegal habits! Get 'em! It's about time they stop profitting of the backs of hardworking musicians. They didn't write ANY of the music! Oh and for god's sake can we please start charging Microsoft for allowing us to even install these P2P apps? For the longest time, Microsoft has profitted off the backs of artists by allowing this filth to be installed on their operating system!
And so on and so on. Seriously, grandpa, stop bitching, you're making your band look bad.
Belief? Hope? Preference?The Existential Vortex
If they continue releasing such crappy records like their latest ones, it will come a day sometime soon when they won't have to worry about anyone downloading their music anymore...
May I assume that they musicians who play some sort of popular dance music? Is there an accordion involved?
Best wishes,
Bob
rm -rf mp3-dump/u2
And of course we should shut down those record stores that are profiting from people who are just going to rip their CD's and put them on P2P networks.
And we should shut down the recording companies who make those CDs that people are ripping to put on PSP networks.
hmmm, I actually kind of like where this is going.
But seriously, since when did ISP profit from content? I worked for an ISP at one point, and we didn't see a damn bit of money from content, all we got paid for was access to the Internet. Where we getting ripped off?
http://www.mhall119.com
I cant believe the news today
Oh, I cant close my eyes and make it go away
How long...
How long must they steal our songs?
How long? how long...
cause tonight...no sales of our song "One"
tonight... they're all downloading "One"
Tonight...
Broken models of our business bleat
Record execs thrown out on the street
And we won't make our earnings call
It puts my back up
Puts my back up against the wall
Pirate bay, bloody pirate bay
Pirate bay, bloody pirate bay...
There are 2 kinds of people in this world. Those that can keep their train of thought,
I think I need to insert the following quotation here:
"You can't treat the working man this way! One of these days we'll form a union, and get the fair and equitable treatment we deserve! Then we'll go too far, and become corrupt and shiftless, and the Japanese will eat us alive!"
--1920s version of the pimply-faced teenager, The Simpsons
It brings tears to my eyes whenever someone breaks up a union. No... wait. That's onion.
I'll give you a quarter if it's Britney Spears -- as long as she's naked & drunk. :)
Dude, she doesn't charge that much to get naked and drunk anymore.
I'm usually harshly anti-P2P, on the basis that it hurts artists through cheapskates using it instead of buying music through legitimate sources, therefore denying them revenue. Given that I kinda like having said artists around to listen to, I really, really don't like P2P.
For U2, however, I will make an exception. I'd use Azureus and hurt them myself, but my broadband connection would start crying and go on strike at having to carry such shite.
The same goes for the film Lady In The Water. What a godawful piece of shit that movie is. I didn't even pay to see it and I want the ticket price back as compensation.
I write bullshit