shows in Antwerp

Free shows in Antwerp

Yao Yao Cafe
Wednesday 14 August
Dageraad Plaats

De Kleine Wereld
Thursday 15 August
Vlasmarkt 23/25,

Bar 219
Tuesday 19 Aug
Sint Jorispoort 2

Song “memories child” free to download on profile, is playing in the current  “x-files” film I want to Believe.

James King talks about Sabam

James King from Sunshine concert talks about SABAM, SABAM basically put a block on culture and artists being able to work on any reasonable terms without a publisher. European/Australian culture is being decimated as a result of the inequality of the media system in Europe and media system in the US.

In the US the entertainment industry is driven by efficient market condtions. In Europe the rights organizations make sure everyone is paid equally, as a result all the Belgium culture is controlled by the government, and the commercial media dominated by the US/california. Europe has no market for the use of media. Myspace don’t pay for the use of content, yet small venues and up and coming web services providers have to always pay.

In the US Cdbaby does not have to pay for the right to stream music from artists with rights organizations outside the US (even though the rights organizations could do a take down by law). In Europe every person that has to sell music, has to play for even a 10 second sound clip of an artists music that is with a rights organizations. A belgium server that tries to create a contract like myspace has, they are going to be sued in a flash.

Big music services like IODA, The Orcahrd, i-tunes, all based in the US are getting a free ride for the cost of content, or US bands are getting exposure outside the US, because they can give sound clips away for free use.

The US media has no competition from anywhere else, unless the government can fund it, make a movie in Europe, que up for a cultural fund. with the cost for use of content going up outside the US because artists like Madonna are not able to collect through selling cds anymore and her empire needs to be fed, the media is more more easily dominated via the US. Global distribution points have been bought up by the major players. If these rights organizations are not deregulated, what happens next?

Its not the big corporations fault, their job is to make the most amount they can for their shareholders. With no sub-culture in the arts industry combined with torrents creating a free situation for use of what is created. What is the future of entertainment? 1984.

The answer is not to stop piracy, from my view its in the deregulation of the rights organizations outside the US like SABAM. The media needs fresh competition. Members of ASCAP and BMI can use a creative commons license, artists that are members of rights organizations not within the US can’t use a creative commons license.

Indra from Antwerp

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http://www.rawmedia.tv

Talking to Indra from a family based in Antwerp that run events in the lounge room for local artists. Although the doors are open to the public they do not do any advertising through any off line channels. The result is that they get a great bunch of people to listen to artists from the community. Although the event is free and most of the artists that play music are not with any form of publishing, SABAM have the right (by law) to fine AMPER elders for use of music. SABAM view all use of music content as commercial. The events have become so popular that well known artists within the Belgium arts scene that are with cultural/commercial publishers see this as an event that they want to perform at. The over regulation of the scene by organizations like SABAM not only effect artists at a grass routes level. They effect artists that are at higher up the food chain. The reality is that the board of the SABAM wants to see more karaoke/cultural music than anything else, as they represent shareholders of corporations or cultural funds. SO what about PUNK culture? The only way that this can change is through these monopoly organizations being forced into deregulation by the authorities run by the government. The Belgium government is quite aware of the corruption within the system, however they want force change. Partly because so many non-profits are funded. Why are the funded? because of the over regulation. What to do? This same or similar situation exists in all of the developed world except in the US, in the US artists are able to work out agreements as they choose and remain with BMI ASCAP rights organizations. One solution would be to change the way that the common law is structured. Yet i’m still trying to get my head around that.

Zou from Antwerp

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http://www.rawmedia.tv 

James King talks about SABAM

done

http://www.rawmedia.tv

Francios from Antwerp about sabam and a free culture

Last week i was in Antwerp and interviewed Francios, shall post some bio information soon.

done

http://www.rawmedia.tv