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Lily Allen: file-sharing is not fair
Updated 17:00pm on 15 Sep 2009Lily Allen has hit out at Pink Floyd's Nick Mason and Ed O'Brien of Radiohead for condoning the sharing of music on the internet.
Nothing to smile about: Lily Allen believes file-sharing is a disaster for new artists
The 24-year-old singer launched a rant on her MySpace blog against file-sharing, branding it "music piracy" and claiming it was turning the British music industry into "nothing but puppets paid for by Simon Cowell" as it made it "harder and harder for new acts to emerge".
Allen wrote: "I think music piracy is having a dangerous effect on British music, but some really rich and successful artists like Nick Mason from Pink Floyd and Ed O'Brien from Radiohead don't seem to think so."
Mason and O'Brien contributed to a recent article in The Times as members of the Featured Artists Coalition, asking that commercial and private file-sharing be treated separately, and campaigning to find a new approach for individual file-sharers that enables the industry to make money from it, rather than criminalising them.
Allen continued: "These guys from huge bands said file-sharing music is fine. It probably is fine for them. They do sell-out arena tours and have the biggest Ferrari collections in the world.
"For new talent though, file-sharing is a disaster as it's making it harder and harder for new acts to emerge.
"You don't start out in music with the Ferraris. Instead you get a huge debt from your record company, which you spend years working your arse off to repay.
"When you manage to get a contract, all those pretty videos and posters advertising your album have to be paid for and, as the artist, you have to pay for them.
"I've only just finished paying off all the money I owe my record company. I'm lucky that I've been successful and managed to pay it back, but not everyone's so lucky.
"The more difficult it is for new artists to make it, the less new artists you'll see and the more British music will be nothing but puppets paid for by Simon Cowell."
She added: "Is this the way we want British music to go? Now, obviously I'm going to benefit from fighting piracy, but I think without fighting it, British music is going to suffer."
Allen built up her fan base sharing her music on social networking site MySpace and blogging updates to her fans, but has recently become a devoted follower of rival networking site Twitter.
The Smile singer - who is travelling to South America for an arena tour - posted a link on Twitter to her MySpace blog saying "please read and consider".
The star, who also had a hit with Fear, vowed to campaign against music piracy and work towards finding better ways of purchasing music legally online.
She wrote: "I don't think what's out there is perfect. It's stupid that kids can't buy anything on the internet without credit, forcing them to steal Mum's credit card or download illegally.
"File-sharing's not OK for British music. I want to get people working together to use new digital opportunities to encourage new artists."
Reader views (9)
How did Lily Allen become famous in the first place? Well actually I have no idea, but for the majority of musicians they work for years performing for little to no money until some producer decides they'll give them fundage.
Most give either free or 'at cost' copies of Demo CD's out to audience members in the hope that they'll love what they hear and pay to hear more.
A sensible artist trying to make it big could easily make all of their singles available for free online as promotional tools to sell out tours, merchandise and High Quality special edition recordings. If they're a good band they will make money - probably more because production costs would be next to nothing!
- Sheinen, UK, 24/09/2009 15:55
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She is into forced Idol Worshiping. If you want to make money, get a job. They don't call it "Working in a Band" They call it "Playing in a Band"
These false Idols today just want you working for them. Make your contribution to society. Leave your mark. But stop forcing others to worship you.
- Paddy O'Reilly, Texas, USA, 18/09/2009 14:46
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If you're truly talented you'll break through and make a living out of it no matter what - the same applies to anything. Selling music may be a dying trend, but there's plenty of other ways to make money if you're good enough - through merchandise or going out on the road, other forms of royalties like radio play/tv etc. Perhaps if record labels had spent a bit more on packaging people would be more inclined to buy a physical product in the first place. When all people get is a cheap CD in a plastic box with a printed paper slip and charged £14.99, what do you expect? Always was the most blatant rip off.
- James, London, 18/09/2009 13:46
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Wish I could still get paid for work I did 40 years ago.
- Beagle, Welling UK, 18/09/2009 13:46
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Artist are always telling us, I do not do it for the money. But for the love of music. Hummmmm !
- Ruckus, Myrtle Beach USA, 18/09/2009 13:46
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She's obviously running out of money... poor brat!!!
- Aria, South London, 18/09/2009 13:46
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I won't buy her records again.
- Lawrence, UK, 18/09/2009 13:46
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Oh go and console yourself Lilly, go and get another Chanel handbag!
- Kalstar, London, 18/09/2009 13:46
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"but some really rich and successful artists like Nick Mason from Pink Floyd and Ed O'Brien from Radiohead don't seem to think so."
The difference really is not their riches but that their talent is impossible to deny, however spoilt little over-privileged brats like lilly would struggle when all things are equal to her 'chicken-in-a-basket' stylee pop music.
If you're a talented musician and your work results in such exceptional music then the wealth will come, but making music is not about money, only for the talentless marketed hype machine product like lilly and other less than musically gifted 'artists'.
- Tom K, Wembley, 18/09/2009 13:46
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