U2 manager takes Internet providers to task

[Dr.Khron]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080129/wr_nm/downloading_dc_2

He spread the blame between record labels that "through lack of foresight and planning allowed a range of industries to arise that let people steal music"; Silicon Valley companies that create marvelous devices but "don't think of themselves as makers of burglary kits"; and governments who "created a thieves' charter" by agreeing that ISPs should not be responsible for what passes along their pipes.

Is he really attacking Silicon Valley for creating innovative new products that people want?
Holy crap, what an ignorant jerk. He can barely see past the end of his nose.

[Doom9]

The entire content industry has always spelled doom and gloom in face of new technology and tried to do away with anything that doesn't fit in their world view.
If the actual creators were as innovative as the tech industry, we'd probably not have any major labels and movie studios anymore - so you know why the powers that be are so afraid.. they could be made obsolete - and instead of looking ahead, they try their best to stop it from happening - who cares if it means throwing millions of people in jail, or break the Internet as we know it (music will be but the first step.. in the end a corporate controlled Internet would be a wet dream of many).

[CruNcher]

Yes user created Content and Distrobution will slowly shut them down and they can do nothing against it, only lower their prices and find new ways of financing.
I think everyone that had the Power to rule the Prices would be afraid of that and in this position the content industry is currently, because everyone in the Society is about to become his own Distributor and Producer in the Future :)
And especialy as a Manager i would be damn afraid of this Future, but trying to prevent this from happening is the wrong way for the whole Society even if it helps a small part to keep their Power.

[tribexa]

Would it help if your internet provider slapped on a 3% percent media charge that would be passed on to the media hogs? I would like to think, thats a reasonable proposal, but all things as they are, laws don't govern the world...power does and as power is, the goal for these reptiles is complete control that keeps them in power forever and if thats the case...forget the proposal...keep it the way it is.

[Shinigami-Sama]

this is exactly like saying the roads are the reason people use get-away cars/speed/race
retarded

[JohnnyMalaria]

U2 have alway been greedy bastards behind the humantarian front.

I used to be a great fan - up to and including the Joshua Tree. Then they became commercial shite. Moreover, they'd release slightly different versions of the same material - especially live stuff. This happened before as well. I had Under A Blood Red Sky on vinyl. It was a short album (35 mins or so) but fully priced. With the advent of the CD age, I bought the CD version (in 1985). It was even shorter - some of the songs had been edited - right in the middle of them.

Same bullshit happened with LP vs CD vs video versions of the same recordings.

And in their post-creative, commercial (i.e., current) era, they have sucked off the creative genius of the likes of BB King and Pavarotti etc.

Naturally, all this is the doing of their manager. Seeing the photo of him, he looks more thuggish than Peter Grant.