U2’s Manager Hectors ISPs And China To Give Bands More Money

anthonyjmiccio | June 5, 2008 2:20 am

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Though record companies have grudgingly begun learning how to utilize the Internet, U2 manager Paul McGuinness still thinks yelling about how Internet service providers should do more to fight piracy and give bands a bigger cut of the profits is the way to go. “Cable operators, ISPs, device manufacturers, P2P software companies–companies that have used music to drive vast revenues from broadband subscriptions and from advertising,” he told an audience in Hong Kong. “They would argue that they have been neutral bystanders to the spectacular devaluation of music. I don’t believe that is true.” He revealed the extent of his belief by comparing them to “shoplifters” and accusing them of “rigging the market.” And don’t get him started on China!

“ISPs and mobile operators are the business partners of the future for the recorded music business — but they have to share the money in a way that reflects what music is doing for their business,” he said. “That’s true nowhere more than in China. China Mobile makes hundreds of millions of dollars each year from sales of ringtones yet pays a minuscule fraction of that to performers, producers and composers.”

Yeah, why is it that bands only get a small royalty, again? What exactly is his problem with everyone but the music industry? That they’re forcing labels to sign crappy deals for ringtones? Does he still think ISPs make more money the more people take up bandwidth? If he’s so concerned about the artists caught between two industries who’d really like to keep all the money they could, wouldn’t McGuinness be better off making a deal for U2 to dance around in a Verizon ad?

U2 Manager Slams Internet Providers [Variety]

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