(EMAILWIRE.COM, September 26, 2002 ) Spurred by mounting concern over the growing impact of illegal downloading and studies that show a lack of consumer awareness of the problem, an unprecedented alliance of musicians, songwriters, music organizations, and record companies announced on September 26 the launch of an aggressive education campaign aimed at combating the wholesale theft of music that threatens the livelihoods of everyone from artists and songwriters to manufacturers, sound engineers, and record-store clerks.

Organized by the MUSIC (Music United for Strong Internet Copyright) Coalition, a four-year-old umbrella group, the campaign kicks off today (Sept 26th) with full-page ads in The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times, as well as publications aimed at policymakers such as Roll Call.

The ads ask the question, "Who Really Cares About Illegal Downloading?" -- then answer it with a diverse list of nearly 90 major recording artists and songwriters, including such superstars as Eminem, Madonna, the Dixie Chicks, Missy Elliott, Elton John, Sting, Phil Collins, Luciano Pavarotti, Brian Wilson, Britney Spears, and Natalie Cole.

The MUSIC Coalition consists of the following organizations: Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies, Association For Independent Music, American Federation of Musicians, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, ASCAP, BMI, Country Music Association, Christian Music Trade Association, Gospel Music Association, Hip Hop Music Action Network, Jazz Alliance International, Music Managers Forum-USA, Nashville Songwriters Association International, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Recording Industry Association of America, Recording Industries Music Performance Trust Funds, SESAC, SoundExchange, Tennessee Songwriters Association International, and The Songwriters Guild of America.

Though these organizations, artists, and songwriters represent many different genres and styles, all are united in their belief that while the epidemic of illegal downloading clearly hurts established artists, it does even more damage to up-and-comers by depriving the music industry of the revenues needed to finance the huge costs of finding and developing new talent. Notes Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik, "If you rob artists of their means of earning, eventually there will be no art of consequence or substance."

In coming weeks, multi-platinum artists will be seen and heard in a series of television and radio spots reaching out to fans with the message that downloading music illegally is, as Britney Spears explains in one of the spots, "the same thing as going into a CD store and stealing the CD."

Similar messages will be conveyed on a new website, www.musicunited.org, that also launches today. Estimates are that more than 2.6 billion music files are downloaded illegally from the Internet each month, mainly through unlicensed "peer-to-peer" services such as KaZaA, Morpheus, and Gnutella.

"Our goal is to encourage people to do the right thing," says David Munns, vice chairman of EMI Recorded Music. "We want to let music fans know what's okay and what isn't when it comes to digital music. We want to educate them about who really gets hurt when they steal music. And we want to show computer users the many options they have for getting digital music legally."

Largely as a result of the explosion in illegal downloading, CD sales are experiencing an unprecedented decline. After falling more than 5 percent in 2001, CD shipments dropped another 7 percent in the first half of this year.

"Illegal downloading is not about hurting nameless, faceless, huge corporations. Illegal downloading is reaching into the pockets of small record labels and causing them financial hardship, if not forcing them to outright shut their doors," said Courtney Proffitt, executive director of the Association For Independent Music. "These are the very businesses that are struggling to keep the creativity and passion for music alive. That is why we view our joining MUSIC as critical at this time."

"Those citizens among us who invest their precious time and resources in the creation of music deserve to be compensated," said Frank Breeden, president of the Gospel Music Association. "To bypass the legal means of distributing their music without compensation is no different than stealing someone's paycheck out of their mailbox."

"Digital downloading is here to stay and whether or not a piece of work is available for download should be the choice of the people who make it," said Garth Fundis, chairman of the Recording Academy (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences). "It's our goal to educate the public about the value of paying for music -- the variety of musical offerings, the ability to develop artists, the willingness to push creative boundaries -- and that these issues and more are at risk if illegal downloading continues."

"Too many people don't realize that when you download a song you like from a peer-to-peer network or some other unauthorized Internet source, what you're doing is stealing music," says RIAA chief executive Hilary Rosen. "And not only is that against the law, it also hurts the very artists and songwriters most downloaders profess to love."

Thomas F. Lee, president, American Federation of Musicians, added, "Music fans often think that only big corporations are hurt if they download a song without paying. But the truth is that thousands of working musicians who are struggling to survive really suffer if music lovers refuse to pay for the music they enjoy. The work of the MUSIC Coalition -- reaching out to fans and reminding them of the human losses that result from piracy and illegal downloading -- is tremendously important to the creative individuals who make up the heart of the music industry."

"We should all cherish our artists. After all, if it were not for our creators -- who should get paid for their work -- there would be no music video, no music radio, no record manufacturers, no record retailers, no record distributors," said Barry Bergman, president, Music Managers Forum -- USA. "The results of illegal downloading not only adversely affects artists, it also will result in mass unemployment. This is why we're joining the MUSIC Coalition."

"The songwriting community, through the Nashville Songwriters Association International, is pleased to join the MUSIC Coalition campaign because it is important the public be made aware that the music they might improperly download off the Internet is indeed the property of the creators," said Bart Herbison, executive director of the Nashville Songwriters Association International. "Songwriters depend on music royalties to pay the rent, the food bill and the cost of their children's education."

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Produced for the Recording Industry Association of America

Contact:

Amy Weiss/Jonathan Lamy/Amanda Collins, 202/775-0101

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