Spain’s Music Industry Protests against Piracy

Spanish record labels are following the example of their “sisters” in other European countries and are pushing for a harsher legislative protection against p2p illegal file sharing. Yesterday the Madrid-based industry ministry was the witness of a massive protest from artists and workers in the Spanish music industry.

The protest seems to have been successful since, as Billboard, reports it had a positive outcome for those involved not only in it but in the issue altogether – a meeting at which big names in Spain’s music industry but also industry minister Miguel Sebastian participated. Among the attendants there were Antonio Guisasola, president of labels' association Promusicae, singer-songwriter Luis Eduardo Aute, pop-rocker Loquillo, and Emilio Santamaria, president of management and promotion body ARTE.

Promusicae has been increasing its efforts to find a more efficient method to combat online piracy over the last two years and Guisasola thinks yesterday marks a great point in history in this respect: "This is an historic day for music in Spain. This sector groups many thousands of workers and professionals who until now have clenched our fists in the face of the unpunished constant aggressions that we have been receiving. From this moment, a peaceful revolution begins in defence of what is ours: music and its craftsmen and women, one of the great values of this country which until now has been ignored," he said.

He went on emphasizing the great losses illegal file sharing has caused to the music industry in his country: "We have already lost too many thousands of jobs in the music sector while successive governments have looked on with indifference. Now is the time to demand, through this industry ministry, that [this government] acts with decision and legislates adequately."

The cause united about 2,500 artists and music sector workers who signed a manifesto which was read at the meeting: "We have the sensation of not counting [to] anybody, of not existing, The same old story has been put around that we do not work, but just live from a thing called music that people have a right to accede to without paying and with total impunity."

The protest comes before the report that a special inter-ministerial commission must release this month and which must be the result of a thorough investigation of the violations of the intellectual property law, but also of proposals for future anti-piracy measures.