Prince, the musical artist with a strong cult following, has been around for a long time and delivering music to really give people a reason to stay alive and keep in comfort. And now, he's suing 22 people... Prince Sues Fans for $22 million
If I were Prince, I would not do that. But, it's his music and his performances. If he doesn't want them posted, his fans should respect it and not do so. If they do, then his only recourse is to sue and try to discourage them from doing it in the future. They really leave him no choice.
James Brown definitely did not want any of his fans recording any of his shows. If he looked into the audience and saw a person with a camera other than an approved camera operator, he would simply ask that person not to record his show. He would stop the show to until the camera was shut off. A lot of performers do not like this practice because each live stage concert/show is a copyrighted show. Some theaters don't even allow people to use their smartphones to record a show. I think if you are going to record a show, do so with the intention of your enjoyment. Putting footage or a whole performance without the artist's permission is not cool. These artists want their shows to be as protected as their songs.
Not mad @ Prince. Besides the copyright infringement, if you are constantly on your phone, taking pics, videos, tweeting and facebooking the whole time, it's distracting you from enjoying being in the moment, taking away from the whole experience in general. I'm sure it's distracting to the artist on stage, as well.
I hate the idea of suing fans and Prince already has a rep as being kinda intolerant to his work being put up on the web. But I can't blame the guy for this. Music "consumers" already kill the industry by getting the music they like through means which does not involve paying for it. When artists understandably object and state that they are losing out on their proper earnings, the response that they too often get is "oh, just make your money on tours and stop whining" (as if artists shouldn't expect to make their money through tours AND music sales as they used to in the recent past). So, fine a singer puts on a tour and hopes to generate cash through ticket sales. Then he learns that his performance has been recorded and put online for free consumption, which could lead to less tickets sold for actual concerts. We are becoming a society that is entitled in as far as our consumption of products. We don't want to pay for newspapers so we object when newspapers start asking for fees when people read their contents online. We don't want to pay for cable so we find illegal ways to stream or download (torrents) television programming. We do the same for movies and music too.
You make some excellent points, but @ the bolded part.. or it could lead to more sales. For example, how many times have I seen a performer's act on YT or FB and been blown away, deciding if I get the chance, I now want to see them live too. It's free promotion. I also wouldn't worry about Prince, his concerts always sell out. Not to mention he goes on GMA, Conan, etc and does free gigs that are televised on TV, so what's the difference if we see it on a FB page or TV?..To sue these fans is despicable, I mean the 22 aren't out bootlegging his music for money.. I've yet to see Prince in MY Hood rounding up the sidewalk bootleg $ellers who hawk his music every time I go shopping. I think Prince done lost his mind. This has turned a lot of his fans off. ps: Btw, he dropped the Lawsuit.
LOL.:smt036 Prince could do 100 shows nationwide a year and sell out every one of them. He needs to get a grip.
