Due to the “massive free downloading” over the past few years, many Spanish indie labels and distribution sectors are preparing to take the government to court on charges of negligence, and demand compensation for the damage done by piracy to the indie sector. The labels – which all belong to 46-member indie label association UFI or its equivalent in Catalonia, Apecat – gave the government until mid-March of 2010 to respond.
A spokesperson for the culture ministry pointed out that the inter-ministerial commission proposal to block or shut Web sites has been adopted. But the labels say that shutting websites will not solve the problem. If they close down one website, lots of other websites could sprout somewhere else.
“The measure would not resolve the most relevant problem, which is the actual impossibility of us taking civil action against those final users who appropriate music without paying, and systematically violate intellectual property rights,” says Gerardo Carton, director of PIAS Records Spain and spokesman for the 20 or so labels.
It is estimated that the number of stores and other establishments connected to the music industry that have closed in recent years tops 800 in Spain.Carton and UFI quote Promusicae figures, which show that in 2008 there were some 2 billion illegal music downloads in Spain, compared to just 20 million legal downloads.
It’s about time the government does something drastic in saving the music industry before it becomes extinct.
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