"We live in a culture where the work of artists is considered to be unimportant and creative work isn’t actually labor and doesn’t deserve compensation. The ocean of internet anonymity creates many degrees of social distance in the theft of music so a person is not cognizant of the effects of his or her behavior on anyone else. However, while it is common to take music for free to listen to it (I do it myself from time to time), it is entirely different to directly rip off individual artists by selling their work. You are taking away the means by which I can create revenue by doing that. It’s beyond simple theft.
The other reason I am posting this is to remind all of my musician friends with recordings available via download that this might also be happening to you. So check streaming sites and iTunes to make sure you are not on there without your permission (or your label’s/publisher’s permission). Register with ASCAP for added protection. And please share this message.
Sincerely,
Olivia Block"
December 14, 2014
Electroacoustician Olivia Block has discovered that her latest album Karren is distributed, without her knowledge and without the consent of her record label, Sedimental, through online commercial platforms. The news of this copyright violation has been all around social media.