Paul skriver brev til EU-parlamentet

Fra innspillinger for "Egypt Station", Pauls kommende album.

EU-parlamentet har fått brev fra Paul McCartney idag. Problemstillingen handler kort sagt om YouTube, som tross sin enorme popularitet nesten ikke skaper inntekter for låtskrivere eller artister, pga foreldet lovgivning fra århundreskiftet. En het debatt i bransjen de siste årene - som du også kan lese om i siste kapittel i Audun Moldes bok "Pop".

Her er brevet:
Dear Members of the European Parliament,

I write to urge your support for the mandate on Copyright in the upcoming plenary vote this week.

Music and culture matter. They are our heart and soul. But they don’t just happen: they demand the hard work of so many people. Importantly, music also creates jobs and economic growth and digital innovation across Europe.

Unfortunately, the value gap jeopardizes the music ecosystem. We need an Internet that is fair and sustainable for all. But today some User Upload Content platforms refuse to compensate artists and all music creators fairly for their work, while they exploit it for their own profit.
The value gap is that gulf between the value these platforms derive from music and the value they pay creators.

The proposed Copyright Directive and its Article 13 would address the value gap and help assure a sustainable future for the music ecosystem and its creators, fans and digital music services alike.

Please vote to uphold the mandate on Copyright and Article 13. You hold in your hands the future of music here in Europe.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Sir Paul McCartney

Kilde: Music Business Worldwide (GB)

Det er godt mulig at dette er grunnen til at The Beatles nylig har lastet opp nesten alle sine album til YouTube for gratis nedlasting - for å illustrere dette poenget.