In seriousness, don't you think this has gone a tad too far?
Above is what you'll get if you go to the linked site and try to download any file.
This site, www.guitartabs.cc, offered free downloads of popular songs in Tablature format. These files were entirely fan-created, and based upon people spending hours in front of their stereo, trying to figure out just how that artist made that sound - and now it's all been taken down because the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) as well as the Music Publishers' Association (MPA) [Edit - US and UK, respectively] have filed a complaint with the sites' hosting company.
What strikes me most about this tactic is that it appears to be an attack on a basic Human right - Freedom of Speech - by an entity - Corporate Music. That anyone would consider telling the public "No, you CANNOT spend your time practicing the music created by one of our artists, and if you show anyone else how to play their songs, we'll sue you." is absurd - yet here we are.
The worst part of this situation is that it's the artists who're suffering. Corporate Music will tell you that this fan music hurts their franchise, because it detracts from the true product they're pushing, when it's the fans who bring this music back to the forefront. I can't tell you how many times I've heard a cover of New Orders' Bizarre Love Triangle* and been glad I own the CD. Nor can I tell you how many times I've bought CD's because I happened to hear a song at a live show or a friends' house, or just a really bad cover that made me want to listen to the real thing.
When are we going to take a stand?
*If you haven't already heard it, check out both the Original, and Frente's cover - both're mighty fine.
This site, www.guitartabs.cc, offered free downloads of popular songs in Tablature format. These files were entirely fan-created, and based upon people spending hours in front of their stereo, trying to figure out just how that artist made that sound - and now it's all been taken down because the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) as well as the Music Publishers' Association (MPA) [Edit - US and UK, respectively] have filed a complaint with the sites' hosting company.
What strikes me most about this tactic is that it appears to be an attack on a basic Human right - Freedom of Speech - by an entity - Corporate Music. That anyone would consider telling the public "No, you CANNOT spend your time practicing the music created by one of our artists, and if you show anyone else how to play their songs, we'll sue you." is absurd - yet here we are.
The worst part of this situation is that it's the artists who're suffering. Corporate Music will tell you that this fan music hurts their franchise, because it detracts from the true product they're pushing, when it's the fans who bring this music back to the forefront. I can't tell you how many times I've heard a cover of New Orders' Bizarre Love Triangle* and been glad I own the CD. Nor can I tell you how many times I've bought CD's because I happened to hear a song at a live show or a friends' house, or just a really bad cover that made me want to listen to the real thing.
When are we going to take a stand?
*If you haven't already heard it, check out both the Original, and Frente's cover - both're mighty fine.
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