Gambling Haters Don't Know When To Fold 'Em

Don't Play Our Record, You Canadian Bastards

from the release-schedule?--what's-that? dept

Thu, Mar 16th 2006 10:37am — Mike Masnick

I'm almost thinking that this "controversy" is half-drummed up to get attention for a famous musician's side-project... but, Cliff writes in to let us know about a radio station in Victoria, British Columbia (that's Canada for those who failed geography) that was playing a song that had been released in the UK and was available for sale on the internet. They apparently got the song and have been playing it on the radio. Part of the confusion is that it's not at all clear how they got the song. In the submission, Cliff claims the radio station bought the song. In the video on the site, the radio station claims they downloaded it from the band's site -- but as of right now, the band only offers a streaming version, not a download one. Either way, the record label putting out the album has demanded the radio station stop playing the song, and according to the submission, today sued the station -- even though they had decided to stop playing the song (along with other songs by the musician). It would be nice if there were a few more details to back up this story. However, it does highlight another issue that record labels seem to be having trouble understanding: the internet makes your business global pretty quickly. Trying to set up different release schedules for different geographies doesn't work. Plenty of radio stations have been known to play songs released in other countries -- so this could just be a record label overreacting, a quirk of Canadian copyright law... or a weird publicity stunt. Either way, we'd like to see some more info on what's really happening here.

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35 Comments

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Ben, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:00am

Career suicide?
so they are trying to piss off the people who bring them to the public's attention? hmmm. sounds like a sure fire way to make sure won't hear your song, either cause they are annoyed with you or cause they didnt hear it over the radio they normally would have. smart.
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- RIAA, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:23am
  
  Re: Career suicide?
  Not at all. RIAA, Sony and the recording industry morons have long been working hard to piss off artists, customers and cripple all new forms of distribution.
  
  Despite absurd lawsuits and failing to grasp the huge market of the internet, treating same as evil plague, people simply find another way to listen.
  
  The good news? Traditonal broadcast is dying under the weight of it's own greed and people are tuning out in record numbers as they
  discover better net speeds and endless content available without
  being infested with lawyers and threats.
  
  Oh, and stupid commericals - we sure will miss those.
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- Jimmy Z, 16 Mar 2006 @ 1:38pm
  
  Re: Career suicide?
  Must be an emo band....lol
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Yawni, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:06am

Oustanding!
That's five minutes of my life I'll never get back.

Way to omit any and all relevant information, names, facts and bring this thriller to a fiesty end by stating the incredibly obvious: The Internet - Huge Circulation Potential.

Who knew?

Do us a favor and just start making up news - and give us a handy URL to make us go somehwere else to get the actual (fake) info.
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- Mike (profile), 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:52am
  
  Re: Oustanding!
  Way to omit any and all relevant information, names, facts and bring this thriller to a fiesty end by stating the incredibly obvious: The Internet - Huge Circulation Potential.
  
  Um. We brought you the *relevant* facts of what happened. The name of the band we left out on purpose, as that would obscure the actual story, and play into the publicity aspect, if this were just a publicity stunt.
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  - Aw, 16 Mar 2006 @ 12:11pm
    
    Re: Re: Oustanding!
    I'm going to pretend you didn't defend your story - placed here on the hugely circulated Internet for all to read, by saying you didn't want to call attention to anyone involved. (unless we click on the link you helpfully provided)
    
    And you pretend I'm not really wearing a huge floppy cowboy hat and fishnet hose while typing.
    
    We'll just agree that it's all silly.
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- Anonymous Coward, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:57am
  
  Re: Oustanding!
  in response to #2.
  
  If you wanted to find out more information regarding Mike's summery , why not click on the link that Mike provided inside his summery? It's really not that difficult - all the reference tools for more information on the summery have been provided to you.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Noel Coward, 16 Mar 2006 @ 12:04pm
    
    Re: Re: Oustanding!
    Did you ever think that just maybe a man may have vacationed in Ottowa recently where he was mauled by a drug-crazed polar tiger
    thus requiring the painful amputation of my mouse hand?
    
    Did ya think of that Mr. Brave Two Hands?
    
    Yeah. I'd like to click a link just like the rest of you...
    Suppose you tell me how to do that with a right-handed mouse
    and only a left-hand?
    
    bastards.
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- Anonymous Coward, 16 Mar 2006 @ 1:34pm
  
  Re: Oustanding!
  RTFA!
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Tyler S, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:11am

Doh!
That's like having a MySpace site to promote your band but restricting it to people that only live in the UK. Definite career suicide!
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Jared, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:22am

Don't Play Our Record, You Canadian Bastards
Well....I like the title
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- electricMayhem, 16 Mar 2006 @ 12:25pm
  
  Re: Don't Play Our Record, You Canadian Bastards
  Yup....title did it for me tooo.....who cares about record companies....so far up their own rear passage they haven't seen the real world for years.....
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Adam, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:30am

this band doesn't 'get it'
the first poster got this right - this band needs to relish in the fact that they are getting airplay in a county miles away - it will inspire sales of their music and popularity, not the opposite.

i wish i had this problem with my music, i give it away free and still don't get airplay...

-adam singer (www.agsinger.com)
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- Free Hat, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:56am
  
  Re: this band doesn't 'get it'
  Come on Adam. Nobody wants anything free.
  
  Stop giving it away man, you'll catch something.
  Look at Geroge Micheal. I don't even know what that means
  but let it be a lesson to you.
  
  I wanted to check out your link but you just seem way too
  over-confident for me. Almost cocky.
  
  If you didn't sing and just played like, a backup oboe what would your last name be then?
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Adam Singer, 16 Mar 2006 @ 12:06pm
    
    Re: Re: this band doesn't 'get it'
    You need to do some research! My *real* last name is Singer, and I do not sing. I play the keyboard and am a composer/producer of jazz/electronic music, a genre that doesn't get any exposure except on the internet, XM radio, and through CD's.
    
    Did this guy really just make the comment of
    
    "If you didn't sing and just played like, a backup oboe what would your last name be then?"
    
    that's a joke, right?
    
    -adam singer (www.agsinger.com)
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    - oboe, 16 Mar 2006 @ 12:17pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: this band doesn't 'get it'
      Look man, I was just trying to get you ANOTHER post with
      link to your site. We gotta get your name out there baby.
      
      It was all just a clever publicity stunt, see? We major label
      record execs do this trickery thing a lot.
      
      But the edgy conflict thing is working - any second now a story
      will apear about our very public feud and then I'll sue you.
      
      We'll be rich, Adam Oboe. And then we'll buy you your very own sense of humor.
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- Mr Rat, 17 Mar 2006 @ 10:16pm
  
  Re: this band doesn't 'get it'
  Like your site - see this free advertising shit really works - just thought I would suggest that you license under a creative commons license http://www.creativecommons.org
  
  the copyright notice on your site and the 'take whatever you like and share with your friends' are a direct contradiction
  
  cheers
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Dave, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:32am

Re Career Suicide
Don't look a gift horse in the teeth. Proverb by Grandma.
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Dave, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:33am

Re Career Suicide
Don't look a gift horse in the teeth. Proverb by Grandma.
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Dave, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:38am

Re Career Suicide
Don't look a gift horse in the teeth. Proverb by Grandma.
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Dave, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:38am

Re Career Suicide
Don't look a gift horse in the teeth. Proverb by Grandma.
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- AARP, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:49am
  
  Re: Re Career Suicide
  Granny Dave,
  
  Call the number on the bottle and tell whoever answers that you
  think the Ritalin is working way too well.
  
  And please - don't reply.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
OCanada, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:45am

WHO doesn't get it?
Isn't the real story here that a CANADIAN radio station
thought paying a few bucks for some no-name song and then
tossing it on Heavy Rotation - was a great idea?

It's as purely Canadian as it is pathetically stupid.
Who's running this station - Rocky or Bullwinkle?

Canada. Still not getting any smarter.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:53am

in response to post # 11, "Canada. Still not getting any smarter."

...at least they aren't Americans - because we all know that Americans are teh smartest.
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- Teh Smartest, 16 Mar 2006 @ 11:59am
  
  Re:
  Yes. Oui are teh smarterer ones.
  
  And we have an air force.
  
  Don't mess with..wait. Actually we're a little busy
  right now so we'll have to get back to you.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
ZOMG CENSORED, 16 Mar 2006 @ 12:21pm

Shitty Music = Court/Jail Time
I guess it's finally come to a point where the people who listen to really shitty music are getting punished for it... Court time for these dj's playing music by the talentless Jack White, Jail time for people who share Ryan Adams music...

Musical Karma's a bitch...
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Adam Singer, 16 Mar 2006 @ 12:25pm

hah...
even techdirt has drama - and up until today it seemed like just some good discussion...the trolls are everywhere, apparently

and i just started a website, sue me for attempting to gain some readership, im a newbie to this internet thing ;)
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Adam Xylophone, 16 Mar 2006 @ 12:50pm

DON'T STEP
oboe...oboe...

WAIT! I GET IT!

thats funny! "buy you a sense of humor" I almost fell out of my seat.

and I refuse to click on his link. stickin' it to da man...
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No Face, 16 Mar 2006 @ 2:16pm

Re: Re: Re: Oustanding!
There is a setting in Windows XP, and in Mac OSX that allows you to switch the mouse buttons around. I did this for a woman in my office who is left handed and was always confused by which button to press.

So you have no excuse Mr. One Hand Willy.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Mar 2006 @ 2:20pm

emo band....career suicide...

rotfbmalfo (rolling on the floor because my artificial limbs fell off)
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Mar 2006 @ 2:38pm

I love the comments on here: the discussion goes from "Radio station issued C&D for playing something they should have been able to play" to "Canadians and Jack White suck."

While both points may be valid, neither point is really RELEVANT here. Ugh!

Me, I'm glad that this kind of situation's getting larger exposure; one more brick in the wall, I guess.
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krached, 16 Mar 2006 @ 2:41pm

Unless Canadien law is quirky
There is no right to broadcast music simply because you have purchased the song. Where is there evidence that the reason for the letter is because the record company wanted to release the album organically. Looks like the radio station took a few too liberties and got their hand slapped.
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Adam Singer, 16 Mar 2006 @ 2:45pm

this is why all musicians
need to be registered with ASCAP
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Mar 2006 @ 3:08am

AARP
The last time I checked there was free speech here. At least my post was relevant to topic, not an ad hominem.
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Scratch, 17 Mar 2006 @ 5:19pm

Canadian Bastards
I guess some musicians have the same old mindset as the record labels. Maybe, if this guy was lucky, some big time music producer like David Foster was in town to visit some relatives and heard the song before it was pulled, if he was lucky. Or maybe some other musicians like Nelly Furtado or Hot Hot Heat had a chance to hear it before he shot himself in the foot... doubt it.
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