Bono Internet Policing Idea Draws Fire

BBC News :

Bono, frontman of rock band U2, has warned the film industry not to make the same mistakes with file-sharing that have dogged the music industry.

Writing for the New York Times, Bono claimed internet service providers were "reverse Robin Hoods" benefiting from the music industry's lost profits.

He hinted that China's efforts prove that tracking net content is possible.

Read the whole story: BBC News

Comments

[peacekitten]

07:47 PM on 01/23/2010

reading these comments is so funny.

if U2 is so "uninspired" and "irrelevant," then explain why they were one of the biggest money making LIVE acts in 2009.

and bashing bono isn't going to help a damm thing.

these are the kind of measures the industry is resorting to because of STEALING, otherwise known as "filesharing." and italy now is considering a process of outright CENS0RSHIP in order to keep a grip on internet content. is everybody HAPPY now?

NONE of this would be necessary from their point of view if the makers of the content weren't being robbed BLIND.

producers of DVDs ALREADY have the capability of "watermarking" their product so they know EXACTLY who it's gone to. so if you decide to make their product available to others for FREE, they know just where to look. and if you think the record industry has been harsh in pursuing violators of the law, just WAIT until the movie industry really gets started.

file sharing with hundreds of thousands of people is THEFT.

and whether or not to make a movie or a recording available to the public for free is the choice of the ARTIST, or the producer of the content, NOT the members of the public. PERIOD.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE LAWS AGAINST FILESHARING, THEN LOBBY TO CHANGE THEM, BUT DON'T COMPLAIN WHEN YOU BREAK THE EXISTING ONES AND GET CAUGHT.

[mrwolfy]

09:01 PM on 01/24/2010

Coca cola was also the leading soft drink sold worldwide, does that make it good for you?

[Bogey907]

06:08 PM on 01/05/2010

That makes me want to pirate his music AND THEN NOT LISTEN TO IT.

[Mortifyd]

02:29 PM on 01/05/2010

So says the man who bought a first class ticket for his HAT on a plane.

[blogisti]

09:36 AM on 01/05/2010

The invention of the record gave the musical artist a new way to make money and a new industry as well. The industries slow response to the internet challenge was responsible for many internet users getting in the habit of downloading free music. As music industry finally woke up and started providing an opportunity to buy music online it has since made quite a nice bit of money selling digital music(just ask Apple). It may be too late to go back to the paydays of yesterday though.
I think performers have to have a rethink of the "record". They probably have to start thinking of it as a mere promotional tool that is designed to build interest and audience. They would be required, like performers before the invention of the record, to tour on a regular basis in order to earn a living. Perhaps the idea that you can make a record and sit home and get rich is over. It may be a good thing for those real performers and their fans.

[Jingo]

02:13 AM on 01/05/2010

Glad to hear Bono is again sticking up for the masses... masses of revenue for the recording industry. He has always been such a man of substance... 80 courics worth.

[ecotopian]

11:49 PM on 01/04/2010

The man has no idea what he is talking about. ISPs can and do limit the amount their users download. Slower speeds because of large downloads has been their reason for this. The companies might not agree with Bono's assessment.

[Terri Walsh]

09:08 PM on 01/04/2010

Wow, Bono...so 'tracking' is okay if YOUR income is threatened. Interesting. You're citing CHINA, really? Are you kidding me?

Kids today are finding ways to make money with their music without the thuggery of the music business as it was. So, stop saying 'get off my lawn' and if you need some bucks, write something new, relevant, enlightened or unique, then realize you have to KEEP doing that to CONTINUE your income stream.

Plenty of people still buy music. The business model has changed, get over it.

[peacekitten]

08:00 PM on 01/23/2010

yes it has.

and the public has not adapted very well, because they still refuse to purchase LEGAL downloads for an extremely small fee.

ANY artist, whether an established one like U2, or a complete unknown trying to get started, should have their rights RESPECTED with regards to THEIR choice to make their music available to the public for free or not. it is THEIR choice, and NOT ours as consumers.

btw, U2 was one of the biggest moneymaking LIVE acts of 2009. so obviously, bono has "realized" what he needed to do to continue his income stream.

[wdmax]

07:12 PM on 01/04/2010

Of course anyone from the music industry will say something as ridiculous as this. Bono has a lot of revenue to lose and has been effected by the file sharing capabilities of the internet.

Back when cassette tapes and vinyl were under $7 the price of the new CD was double and the labels promised that the price would come down, that never happened. The labels doubled their income on sales using a technology that was cheaper to produce and did not care about the consumers, Bono (U2) benefited from those sales. Labels still are using the same business model, buy the CD and get a couple good songs and the rest are marginal. The internet changed that and instead of adapting to the technology they are still trying to restrict the use.

Bono needs to realize that China is a poor example for the freedom of information. China is a good example of censorship and restricting the flow of information. Bono you have just become another rich ass that is trying to protect his superfluous wealth. Shame on you...

[dhfarkas]

12:10 PM on 01/05/2010

Thank You! The problem is not "everyone who downloads"- the problem is people like Bono: servile tools who get played by the industry executives into producing pure and utter crap. Ask any radio DJ about current music- they will all tell you that about 95 percent of popular new music will be unplayable in five years. That's not to say that there isn't good music out there today, because there most certainly is, its just not getting released by the majors.

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/bono-disappointed-by-recent-record-sales_1120141

If Bono feels that the reason U2's most recent album sold lower than he would have liked, mabie "challenging" is not the right word to use- how about uninspired or uninspiring.

[Michele Engel]

03:15 PM on 01/10/2010

That really shocked me, too. Just goes to show how little he thought this through. If he understood how ISP-blocks work, he wouldn't advocate using them.

Is this the latest?
"Nirvana's Bassist: I Don't Understand Having ISPs Regulate Copyright Files, But I Support Bono's Position Anyway"
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100106/0257227631.shtml

The comments are interesting

[PresidentRobertBooth]

05:49 PM on 01/04/2010

I don't China is a good example to use, Bono

[Etrusci]

05:07 PM on 01/04/2010

While we're at it, let's install cameras in living rooms across the country, to make sure no one is misusing their VCR.

If you don't do anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about, right?

[mybostonjack]

04:57 PM on 01/04/2010

U2 is the greatest rock band in history and Bono is god. Wahoo!

[JTS313]

03:03 PM on 01/04/2010

Why anybody takes this clown seriously is way beyond me. He ceased to be relevant in any way back in the late eighties when he put on his first pair of tinted lenses.

[cowboyx]

02:22 PM on 01/04/2010

Bono should be so lucky that there are any people left that even want to download his music illegally. U2 gave up on being relevant years ago, and it's convenient to Bono to believe the reason his music is selling less is because of Napster.

[tonewheel]

01:47 PM on 01/04/2010

Ah, now he's an expert on this?

[IwantPEACE4All]

01:19 PM on 01/04/2010

i guess greed is good in the entertainment world too.