Bob Goodlatte Receives Most Awkward Serenade Ever With Pro-Copyright Song
from the we-gotta-go-to-the-crappy-town-where-i'm-a-hero! dept
House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte has sort of an up and down history when it comes to technology and innovation. He made some rather unfortunate comments after the SOPA debates, ignoring the public's place in talks. On the other hand, he was among the lawmakers who wanted to make unlocking phones legal -- though his proposal on that front was very weak, and did little to fix the underlying problem. At one point, Goodlatte said the DMCA system needed to go and service providers needed to have more onus on them over IP issues. However, more recently he came out and suggested that the DOJ and Hollywood have too cozy of a relationship.
What's equally unclear is why members of the Southwest Virginia Songwriters Association (Seriously? That's a thing?), who are on the Hill as the Grammys lobby Congress, decided to offer up an incredibly awkward serenade of Goodlatte in the form of a pro-copyright song.
The song, “Copy-Right, Copy-Wrong,” was written by Goodlatte constituents and members of the Southwest Virginia Songwriters Association: Larry Sakayama, Greg Trafidlo and Barbara Martin. Nashville songwriter Darrell Brown also pitched in. The lyrics forgive Goodlatte for being born a Yankee, while tracing the congressman’s journey from his “college in Maine” to the law degree that will help him to “slay the piracy giants.”
“To those that make the music, he’s our Moses,” the group crooned. “Even better than Charlton Heston.” The chorus continues: “Chairman Bob/Get your hands in the mud/Chairman Bob/Roll up your sleeves Bob/Say Copy-right yeah yeah/Not Copy-wrong no no.”
It would be difficult to list out the most awkward and unfortunate lyrics in the song, other than to say "all of them". Brown, the lead singer, at one point went off script with the lyrics, singing "Don't make me get the majority whip, now." Er, that isn't creepy at all. So congratulations, Songwriters Association of Wherever. Your screed against "copy-wrong" fits so nicely into the "that awkward moment when" meme that you've tripped into the internet anyway.
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Filed Under: bob goodlatte, copyright, serenade, songwriters
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I love astroturf groups...
Larry Sakayama
SVSA Songs critique
This "group" hasn't been active for ~ a year with only 8-10 regular members:
In the five years that I've been an SVSA member, we've seen regular attendance at our monthly meetings grow from about 8-9 people to 20 or so – which is about half of the active membership. However, we've also seen a handful of people come and go, with no explanation in most cases. Being the sensitive songwriter types, some of us have started to wonder why some people leave (sniff), and what we can or should do about it, if anything.
Now call me pessimistic but I have to think that with SOPA being a huge factor, someone went to SVSA with a ton of money to make it worth their while to create this song to Goodlatte.
As their website entails they are big on playing music. The question is.. Why in hell are they able to connect with a copyright issue that barely registers on their scale unless they've been paid to be there?
They create songs and guitars. Copyright doesn't even register on their agenda at all.
No Youtube page, nothing to say where they make money supporting the DMCA.
So I'm officially labeling them as a member of the RIAA through sub-affiliation until otherwise noted.
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New Job
My guess is that he makes a good latte.
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Lyrics?
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Re: Lyrics?
Verb
(of a cat) Make a shrill howling or wailing noise: "the caterwauling of a pair of bobcats"; "a caterwauling guitar".
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Maybe they hope that copyright will force people to know who they are and care.
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Ok
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Since this clumsy effort seems directly sponsored by actual eternal copywrong lobbyists its almost guaranteed to be industry monopolistic propaganda. Its unlikely that they are there for grassroots support. Why were they chosen even if the method of delivery was clumbsy and even the content might be considered takcy? This is all they have.
“,who are on the Hill as the Grammys,” Seems like RIAA activity to me.
Yes thats right the eternal copyright proponents have organizations like the RIAA, MPAA and more local groups like “the Southwest Virginia Songwriters Association” producing questionable material/literature/studies/reviews/whatever-works to justify a burgeoning monopoly. Another good example of bad examples.
Anyone might be normally embarrassed when others sing of good deeds and Nobel attributes. But. How would anyone feel when they are the serenade about a subject of likely monopolistic intent? Being complimented with song by a government granted monopoly support group is should not be considered a compliment.
Reactionary;
Jay broaches upon the apparent cluelesness of the SVSA. Its kind of normal that the average citizen knows nothing about copyright and its newly criminal consequences. Even songwriters and singers.
Vmax. Good point but might include also elevator music and of course Muzak.
Muzak; Is normal music but with positive suggestive cues, inserted and adsorbed while normally listening while shopping, of subliminal anti-theft messages. Makes one wonder if the above serenade had pro-copyright subliminal content? Who knows. Considering the likely questionable source it may be a worry.
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The event was called the annual “Grammys on the Hill” awards which was a “VIP cocktail reception at The Hamilton venue in downtown Washington” where supporters of copyright law gathered to schmooze and ooze with Grammy associated music artists. A seemingly self justification event designed to promote and reward only those who support more draconian copyright law.
http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/advocacy/goth Obviously a production of the Grammy organization. Purportedly to gather donations for various school music programs? Fat chance. If they wanted to distinguish this kind of nice effort then they would not dirty it up with the nasty politics of copyright law.
The (prompted by who? Hoh?) comments by Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md of “Thou shalt not steal,” and “There’s no caveat.” about the topic of “,musical property,” shows no concept or articulation of Public Domain Rights nor Fair Use Rights.
Quotes fom http://hoh.rollcall.com/
Here we have an event almost entirely sponsored to sway legislators in the D.C. area. Since they specifically talked about copyright... Exactly why does such an event exist? Why risk tainting such a potentially beneficial event? Why risk poisoning the donation pool even if it seems profitable currently?
If this really is a serious attempt at gathering donations for a good legitimate goal why do they involve politics? Its possible the event organizers will have some serious soul searching to do about the nature of this event.
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Yet still you choose to put the boot into the losers, having a go at them simply because they're not from California, and are old.
Not cool. Really not cool. You claim to be on the side of indie musos, yet here you are taking the piss.
Techdirt. On the side of those with trillions of dollars intent on taking further rights away from those with none.
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good luck
Do yourself a favor and step away from your smartphones and into the real world. Get those earbuds out of your ears and embrace the actual physical world for a change. And not on a fixed wheel bicycle either.
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