Universal Music Funds Yet Another 'Educational' Propaganda Campaign Against File Sharing

from the economics-matter dept

Fri, Mar 26th 2010 3:15pm — Mike Masnick

Back in January, we noted that Chris Morrison, the manager of Damon Albarn's bands, Blur and Gorillaz, stated at a conference that "piracy can be stopped," while also suggesting he wanted to personally beat up anyone who shared Albarn's music (oddly, this was right after he had admitted how much wonderful free publicity Albarn had gotten from a leak of the Gorillaz album). Now it looks like Morrison and a former partner of his are involved in a silly and amusing new propaganda campaign, funded by Universal Music, to try to equate file sharing to drunk driving in some cases and racism in other cases. Seriously.

Comparisons were made at the launch in London on Wednesday to anti-drink driving campaigns which have gradually changed attitudes....

Chris Morrison of CMO Management agreed that the problem is generational.

But he continued: ''You can educate that out of people ... Racial prejudice was rife when I was a child ... the public attitude towards it has changed radically.

''You educate, it's generational ... It may take five, 10 years, but you need to start in schools.''

Of course, we've been hearing the same thing for about ten years now, back when the recording industry kicked off their various "educational campaigns." It's already been more than those five, 10 years, and they did start in schools... and the school kids laughed at them. That's because school kids understand that these are business model issues, not inherent unfair or dangerous situations. With racism and drunk driving it's easy to see how those lead to inherently unfair outcomes. With the music industry, it doesn't take long for kids to recognize that the issue isn't that file sharing is inherently bad. They see lots of bands that are doing quite well by embracing it. So they quickly realize that it's just those dinosaurs who refuse to adapt who start pushing this kind of propaganda. What's amusing is how often these kinds of campaigns have been tried and failed, and yet the industry somehow magically thinks it will work this time. Isn't there a word for doing the same thing over and over and over again, but expecting different results?

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Filed Under: copyright, education, file sharing, music, music matters, propaganda, uk
Companies: universal music

53 Comments

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Dark Helmet (profile), 26 Mar 2010 @ 2:41pm

Question:
Am I the only one that thinks the bigger issue is that we have corporate sponsored education curriculum?
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- Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2010 @ 3:35pm
  
  Re: Question:
  Did you know that WWII was won by the Allies thanks to Nike™ brand running shoes?
  
  Nike™! Saving the world from the Nazis since 1978.
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  - ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 26 Mar 2010 @ 6:05pm
    
    Re: Re: Question:
    "Did you know that WWII was won by the Allies thanks to Nike™ brand running shoes?"
    
    Nike=Victory. Look it up.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2010 @ 6:22pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: Question:
      That was part of the joke.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
      - ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 26 Mar 2010 @ 8:19pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Question:
        Yeah, riffing on the joke.
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- Marcus Carab (profile), 26 Mar 2010 @ 4:05pm
  
  Re: Question:
  Indeed. It is pretty distressing that the private sector has any input at all on public school curricula (it's no better here in Canada) - though honestly that's just one of the many, many problems that our education systems share.
  
  I think it was Richard Feynman who said the first thing we should do is quadruple the salary for teachers, and make teaching the hardest job in the world to get.
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- Hephaestus (profile), 26 Mar 2010 @ 6:00pm
  
  Re: Question:
  I dont mind if we have corporate sponsored education. If they get into our schools I will just sue for equal time and make a killing on Amway products ... ;)
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- Sam, 16 Dec 2012 @ 5:05am
  
  Re: Question:
  how is it that 12 major labels have now condensed down to 2 ?
  
  warner brother and universal, :|?
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:Lobo Santo (profile), 26 Mar 2010 @ 3:20pm

Pray Harder Dammit!!
"Isn't there a word for doing the same thing over and over and over again, but expecting different results? "
Yes, prayer.
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- StarNoStar, 26 Mar 2010 @ 4:52pm
  
  Re: Pray Harder Dammit!!
  Haha, thats totally true.
  
  Most people think that this word is insanity....not true
  
  Insanity is a legal term meaning you didn't understand what you did was wrong, inherently referring to socio-pathology, or people with antisocial personality disorder.
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- brenda, 26 Mar 2010 @ 10:30pm
  
  Re: Pray Harder Dammit!!
  Actually that's not so, one prays to get get A result..not a different result...quite a different thing altogether.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2010 @ 3:21pm

"to try to equate file sharing to drunk driving in some cases and racism in other cases. "

and lets not forget that file sharing also undermines the humanitarian efforts in Haiti.
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- www.eZee.se (profile), 26 Mar 2010 @ 4:08pm
  
  Re:
  Oh oh ohhh wait, I got one:
  
  "File sharing funds terrorism"
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crade (profile), 26 Mar 2010 @ 3:29pm

"You educate"
I believe you mean re-educate, as in re-education camps?
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2010 @ 3:38pm

Two relatively innocuous articles talking about how "education" can over time help change attitudes. One nice website that looks to be quite creative and not "preachy".

One article criticizing the above and turning them into yet another "business model" sermon and "Boo Big Bad Labels" rant for the benefit of the "I won't buy the music, but I will buy a t-shirt" crowd.
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- Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2010 @ 3:45pm
  
  Re:
  Did you know that artists don't need copyright to make music?
  
  So, the only kind of music that really matters is the kind that has a copyright attached to it.
  
  Good to know.
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  - Epsyle, 28 Mar 2010 @ 6:01pm
    
    Re: Re:
    Er, the second anything is created it falls under copyright.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 28 Mar 2010 @ 7:25pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      I know. But some artists can disregard copyright and place their work in the public domain. True story.
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      - summy, 31 Mar 2010 @ 7:30am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re:
        how many (good ones)? this is a myth.
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- crade (profile), 26 Mar 2010 @ 3:46pm
  
  Re:
  Of if you control education you can change attitudes over time. Controlling education is absolutely essential for dominating people.
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- Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2010 @ 3:47pm
  
  Re:
  This was the only comment I found on that whole site:
  
  "I can see why his music has been and still is very influential, but sales of his songs clearly won't benefit him, and your video shows he didn't even benefit from sales during his lifetime and lived in poverty.
  
  And surely Blind Willie Johnson's music is public domain by now and I can freely and legally download it from any site that doesn't carry your new logo?"
  
  The kids are going crazy for this stuff!
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lavi d (profile), 26 Mar 2010 @ 3:51pm

Persistence
Isn't there a word for doing the same thing over and over and over again, but expecting different results?
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- Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2010 @ 4:15pm
  
  Re: Persistence
  Pig-headedness?
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2010 @ 4:29pm
    
    Re: Re: Persistence
    Well, that's just insane.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Hephaestus (profile), 26 Mar 2010 @ 6:06pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: Persistence
      No thats Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
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      - Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2010 @ 6:22pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Persistence
        Well, that's just insane.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2010 @ 4:06pm

I'm a Rock & Roll star! Doing illegal drugs and paying for prostitutes! Singing about breaking the law! Rock & Roll! Smashing up private property! Yeah! Sticking it to the man!

Stop infringing on my copyrights. That's illegal and that's wrong.

Rock & Roll!
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- Nina Paley (profile), 27 Mar 2010 @ 6:48pm
  
  Re:
  Hahahahahaha!! I might have to "steal" that, AC!
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  - Anonymous Coward, 27 Mar 2010 @ 8:28pm
    
    Re: Re:
    Just remember to spell my name right. That's all I ask.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2010 @ 4:11pm

I know how to stop piracy
Let the end user do what ever they want with it. You know like the car you own, or the house or you know ANYTHING else you buy. If we didn't have to "steal" so that we could do with it what we want, there would be less "stealing". Case and point is movies. I have a collection of nearly 250(combo of blu ray and regular dvd titles, not discs) but I will still "steal" a copy from the internet because it will let me stream it around my personal network on any device. Since I have to "break the law" to do that, I might as well use a shortcut and just dl it.
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crade (profile), 26 Mar 2010 @ 4:13pm

The claim that the fight against racism was won through manipulating the education system is more than a little offensive. That isn't how I remember it going.
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Alex Bowles, 26 Mar 2010 @ 4:22pm

Putting the 'Service' in PSA
Education? You mean like helping people understand the legal and moral distinctions between a natural right and an artificial privilege?

What a wonderful thing for these producers to do. God bless 'em.
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another mike (profile), 26 Mar 2010 @ 5:05pm

Drunk driving and prejudice have draining effects on society. Innovative new business models which grow an audience, increase revenue, and reduce costs? Not the same.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2010 @ 6:16pm

"Universal Music Funds Yet Another 'Educational' Propaganda Scam Against File Sharing"

There, fixed that for you.
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- Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2010 @ 6:24pm
  
  Re:
  How do computers on a network communicate?
  
  By the copying and sharing of digital files. I can see why they would need to educate children against such actions.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2010 @ 7:40pm

"I can see why they would need to educate children against such actions."

Don't confuse education with indoctrination.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2010 @ 9:06pm

We're inching ever closer to the inevitable File Sharing = Terrorism assertion. I can't wait to see the pamphlets and brainwashing videos for that one.
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theskyrider, 27 Mar 2010 @ 6:19am

campaign over.
Al Yankovic has already advised us of the consequences of 'stealing music.'

First you start out stealing songs,
then you're robbing liquor stores,
and selling crack
and running over schoolkids with your car...

So don't download this song..

and so on. Sing along.
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Derek, 27 Mar 2010 @ 11:52am

Bring on the "education!"
In my very limited experience with the agendacation the big media is injecting into schools, it appeared the effort backfired completely. The children sat there politely, but later it was clear they were even more attuned to the bullshit of the media corporations. The kids seemed no less likely to "pirate" (moreso if anything because the advantages had been reinforced), and much more jaded and distrustful towards the content industry.

Kids see right through this crap. The more of it that's dumped on them, the more they're going to resent and rebel against pointless and artificial restrictions.

(Pro-tip for the mediacorp lurkers: Kids are also not fooled by smarmy marketing guys trying to act cool and talk about "respect.")
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Mar 2010 @ 3:15pm

Only corporate-backed music really matters! That music that musicians play for the simple joy of making and sharing their art, well, that don't matter!

If you see or hear music that isn't copyrighted then you better understand that it just doesn't matter!

The only value music brings is a monetary one! If you cannot measure music in dollars and cents then it don't matter!

You wouldn't steal a melody by humming it in public! Kids today don't respect paying for digital copies of infinitely reproducible music!

And that's why music matters, kids.
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NAMELESS.ONE, 27 Mar 2010 @ 5:45pm

I AM SPARTACUS
Education? You mean like helping people understand the legal and moral distinctions between a natural right and an artificial privilege?

and this goobly gook of large syllabled words means what exactly, that your education is actually not in making any sense but is actually geared towards making others think your intelligent and wise? WHEN in fact your about as STUPID DUMB and ass backwards as a monkey that climbed up a tree 3.5 million years back.

IF your referring however to the moral dilemma of art being commercialized i think you need of course to separate real artists that WANT regardless of costs to have the art shared and seen, versus those of corporate labels and there ilk that wish to profit form the next fad or trend that permeates the day. THE two are NOT mutually exclusive and the former can exist and shall exist long after mankind's need for money and profit has gone the way of the dodo bird.

AS man gets more freetime more of this art and sharing will increase not the other way around. WITH spare time i can doante my knowledge and expertise to as a star trek ideal would say.... the betterment of mankind rather then the opposite the betterment of myself exclusively.

THE USA is trying to setup a racket, a system that enslaves the world and keeps the old order in play as long as possible. THE problem is this will fail as the cats been out of the bag too long and as other posters say KIDS see right through the BS. AND if you think a parent is gonna let you keep telling there kid bullshit.....

JUST remember the Hitler youth....JUST DON'T MENTION NAZIS OR HITLER on Michael geists site. HES SAID TO ME HE WONT ALLOW THAT.
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- Anonymous Coward, 28 Mar 2010 @ 8:25am
  
  Re: I AM SPARTACUS
  Seriously, you seem to be incapable of comprehending everything you read.
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- MaxWillens (profile), 30 Mar 2010 @ 8:39am
  
  Re: I AM SPARTACUS
  @NAMELESS.ONE
  You're right that those two groups are separate.
  
  People are absolutely entitled to give their art away and let it move freely through culture as it may, and people are more than entitled to actively seek out music that is made with that ethos and sensibility.
  
  That does not entitle people to take whatever they want, whenever they want it.
  
  List one example of enduring free art that was produced at a cost of zero, by an artist who was not compensated for his work.
  
  Can't do it. All the stuff that inspires us and draws us to art in the first place was PAID FOR. Hell, more than half of it was commissioned.
  
  Just stop with the f&#@ing adolescent "They're trying to control us, man!" stuff already. It's just ridiculous.
  
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Mar 2010 @ 8:28pm

True, but then their art has little chance of making it on public airwaves (thanks to retard laws created by the FCC) or mainstream media outlets (also thanks to retard laws enabling special interest groups to monopolize their communication mediums). Thanks to the broken laws in place, outside the Internet, only monopolized content can make it on widespread monopolized communication venues. This makes it much more difficult for an artist to make his/her work well known and distributed, especially before the Internet became as prevalent as it currently is.

However, hopefully the Internet will overtake mainstream media and everyone's right to use it as a distribution platform to distribute free Creative Commons work won't be taken away like it was outside the Internet.

The public needs to organize its efforts into

A: Ensuring that such rights don't get taken away

B: Taking away the existing monopolies in place and ensuring the government grants FREE competition to everyone who wants to compete when it comes to either using existing cableco/telco infrastructure or building new infrastructure.

C: Ensuring the FCC allocate public airwaves in the best interest of the PUBLIC so that creative commons music and movies can and DOES indeed make it on public airwaves.
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- Anonymous Coward, 28 Mar 2010 @ 8:40pm
  
  Re:
  In fact I contend that ALL content that gets distributed over public airwaves should be in the public domain, ONLY public domain content should be allowed on PUBLIC airwaves. Public airwaves should be used to serve the PUBLIC good, not the good of some corporation or private entity or business. No ones owes anyone a monopoly on public airwaves and if the FCC is not going to allocate public airwaves in the best interest of the public then they might as well De monopolize it and allow anyone to use those spectra to freely send and receive data as they see fit with whatever equipment they wish to use.
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Mark, 28 Mar 2010 @ 10:40pm

The creation of any unauthorized copy of a copyrighted work is infringing on copyright unless there are extenuating circumstances that would make the copying exempt (such as fair use).

That's it. In a nutshell... no more to it than that. This is completely neutral to any technology and does not give regard for any morality that may be involved.

If, however, one is to adopt the notion that copyright is a good thing, then it must also be accepted that infringing on copyright is bad.

Make of that what you will.
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Karl Fogel (profile), 29 Mar 2010 @ 7:05am

The counter-campaign...
This sort of campaign is exactly why we started the Minute Memes project — so there would be material available for those who want to teach kids that sharing culture is a good thing, and that you shouldn't have to pay monopolists for the privilege of sharing. Hopefully that will be a much more welcome message :-).
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Mar 2010 @ 7:52am

Bring back the balance with your own lessons on p2p and torrents. Half an hour playing with uTorrent and Demonoid should be scheduled after every IP lecture.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Mar 2010 @ 11:14am

I bet some of the people that insist this will work "this time" don’t care if it works. They only care if their idea sounds good enough to get them promoted. It is a ten year effort. By the time anyone realizes it doesn’t work, those people will already have benefited from it
(by being promoted by a wrong thinking business)
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Glenn, 29 Mar 2010 @ 4:53pm

Dead in the head...
Quick... name *THE* most successful band in the history of "rock music"... => Greatful Dead ...and it was virtually impossible to "pirate" their music: they encouraged fans to share... and fans have been more than happy to spend *THOUSANDS* of dollars for Dead concerts, recordings, etc. etc. etc. Piracy? No, advertising and giving fans what they wanted. (ah, well, things change... ?)
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- summy, 31 Mar 2010 @ 7:31am
  
  Re: Dead in the head...
  any facts to back that up?
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gorehound (profile), 30 Mar 2010 @ 2:51pm

Chris Morrison, the manager of Damon Albarn's bands, Blur and Gorillaz, should come to portland maine if you dare and then come over to a big meat hammer show and we will beat the hell out of your lame ass.
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Sam, 16 Dec 2012 @ 5:03am

Here is proof filesharing has put the music biz on life support
12 major labels have shrunk down to

2

warner brothers and universal,

so please explain that one, :?
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