“Artists Against Piracy” Launches National Media Campaign

Artists Against Piracy, an artist-driven coalition formed to give recording artists a voice in determining how their music is distributed on the Internet, Tuesday released a list of artists who have added their names in support of the intellectual property rights issues championed by Metallica and Dr. Dre.

AAP’s goal is to create public awareness, appreciation and understanding of the value of music and to advocate artists’ choice in determining how their music is presented, distributed and marketed online. The organization is spearheaded by recording artist and Internet label executive Noah Stone.

Artists Against Piracy kick’s off its educational campaign Tuesday with full-page ads in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. Under the headline “If a Song Means a Lot to You, Imagine What it Means to Us,” the ad has been endorsed by, and includes the names of, approximately 70 recording artists representing a wide spectrum of genres.

Among them are such popular artists as Aimee Mann, Alanis Morissette, Art Alexakis, Barenaked Ladies, blink-182, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Christina Aguilera, DMX, Faith Hill, Filter, Fisher, Garth Brooks, Hanson, Herbie Hancock, Nanci Griffith, Primer 55, Saliva, Sarah McLachlan, Shelby Lynne, Sisqo, Vertical Horizon, and many more.

The launch of AAP’s public awareness campaign coincides with Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, at which Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and others will present varying points of view on the current state of music on the Internet and how it affects intellectual property rights, one of the key areas over which the Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction.

“Artists Against Piracy’s mission is to provide a collective voice for artists on the issue of the digital distribution of music,” explains Stone. “The advancements in technology have created exciting opportunities for artists online, but we believe artists ought to have the right to choose how and if their work is distributed on the Internet. The issue of compensation for and creative control by artists is important to all of us because it affects our careers, our livelihoods and our futures.”

Led by artists, and for artists, AAP is supported by a variety of organizations and companies within the entertainment and technology communities. Corporate supporters include Cognicity, myplay, inc., the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, PlayJ, Reciprocal, Inc., the Recording Industry Association of America, Supertracks and The Walt Disney Company.