January 26, 2012
Today the Organization of American States (OAS) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) presented a series of studies on the impact and importance of the creative industries in various countries. In response, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) joined more than 30 music industry organizations and associations from throughout the Americas in a joint statement to spotlight the new report and piracy’s impact on cultural diversity, economic development and employment in the Americas.
JOINT STATEMENT:
The vibrant music of the Western Hemisphere is widely recognized as one of the great contributions of our peoples to global society. Yet our ability to continue creating and offering this magnificent music is under threat today like never before. The collective output of our songwriters, performers, musicians, publishers, technicians and producers is being stolen on a massive scale that, unless adequately addressed, could fundamentally undermine our hemispheric cultural treasure. This is not an issue of one or just a few of our countries-it affects us all.
The victims of this theft include the artists and songwriters whose creativity gets no reward; governments who lose hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues; economies that are deprived of new investments; consumers who get less diversity and less choice; and record producers and publishers who, due to rampant theft, have less money to invest in the development of new talent.
The greatest victim of piracy is local culture. It has had a devastating impact on performers, musicians and songwriters throughout the hemisphere. Local repertoire accounts for nearly 70 percent of the global music market. Unless there are rational economic reasons to invest in original creative production, such investment will dry up, and along with it will perish the fantastic diversity of music that has been our region’s legacy.
For these reasons we call upon policy makers to use this report on the contribution of the creative industries as a catalyst for the adoption of new measures so that we can turn the tide on the destructive forces of music theft. Governments, multilateral institutions and the private sector have an unparalleled opportunity to address current problems affecting economic development, cultural output and diversity through the implementation of strong and unambiguous measures to fight piracy, and to pave the way for e-commerce in cultural materials to prosper by creating standards that will ensure the protection of cultural materials in the on-line environment.
Submitted by the following organizations:
American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)
American Federation of Musicians (AFM)
American Federation of Television and Recording Artists (AFTRA)
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
Associacion Brasileira de Produtores da Discos (ABPD)
Asociacion Brasileira de Musica e Artes (ABRAMUS)
Asociación Colectiva de Intérpretes y Productores de Fonogramas (ACINPRO)-Colombia
Asociación Protectora de los Derechos Intelectuales Fonográficos de Colombia (APDIF Colombia)
Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas (AMPROFON)
Asociación de Intérpretes y Productores de Fonogramas (ASAP)-El Salvador
Asociación Guatemalteca de Productores de Interpretes y Productores de Fonogramas (AGINPRO)
Belizean Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (BSCAP)
Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)
Camara Argentina de Productores e Industriales Fonograficos (CAPIF)
Cámara Uruguaya del Disco (CUD)
Church Music Publishers Association (CMPA—USA)
Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA)
IFPI Chile-Asociación Chilena de Productores de Fonogramas
Jamaica Music Society (JAMMS)
Music Canada
National Songwriters Association International (NSAI)
National Music Publishers Association (NMPA-USA)
Sociedad de Gestion Colectiva de la Industria Fonografica (PROFOVI)-Chile
Sociedad de Gestión Colectiva de los Productores de Fonogramas (SGP)-Paraguay
Sociedad de Productores de Fonogramas (PRODUCE)-Panama
Sociedad de Intérpretes y Productores de Fonogramas (SODINPRO)-Dominican Republic
Sociedad Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas, Videogramas y Multimedia (SOMEXFON)
Sociedad de Gestión Colectiva de Interpretes y Productores de Fonogramas (FONOTICA)-Costa Rica
SoundExchange (SX—USA)
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
The Copyright Protection Association for Composers, Authors and Producers (COSCAP)-Barbados
Unión Peruana de Productores de Fonogramas (UNIMPRO)
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Credit to the original article:
http://www.riaa.com/blog.php?content_selector=riaa-news-blog&blog_selector=Music-Groups-Comment-&news_month_filter=1&news_year_filter=2012