Pro-music online awareness campaign is backed by music publishers

Website www.pro-music.org, promoting legal music sites and confronting the myths on internet piracy, is now supported from across the music sector

London, 17 September

Pro-music, the global campaign to promote legitimate online music sites and curb the spread of unauthorised music on-line, has won the support of ICMP/CIEM, the umbrella organisation representing music publishers worldwide.

The website www.pro-music.org was launched in May and is now supported by an international alliance of musicians, performers, artists, music publishers, major and independent record companies and retailers across the music industry.

The website highlights and gives links to the growing number of sites - more than 20 in Europe - where consumers can download music legally. Those sites now offer more than 200,000 songs to music fans. It also counters myths about "free music" and internet piracy.

The site also features a step-by-step guide to the processes in making music and the teams of people involved, viewpoints on the piracy debate from a cross-section of artists, the media and the public, and answers to frequently asked questions about copyright laws for online music.

The website will be rolled out in different national versions over the coming months -Germany last month already launched a German www.pro-musicorg.de.

Ralph Peer, Chairman of ICMP/CIEM Chairman and CEO of PeerMusic, said: "Composers, songwriters and music publishers are seeing their copyrights put at risk and are compelled to invest large sums in litigation as well as in legislative efforts. We need to send a clear message to venture capitalists, to advertisers and to others that there are high penalties for stealing the work of creators for their own commercial goals. There is a need to promote practical, proportional and just solutions in law and enforcement to allow all to benefit from the real promise of music in the online world - which is a promise to benefit the creative talent on which it depends."

Pro-music has already attracted widespread support from across the music sector. It is endorsed by IFPI and IMPALA, representing thousands of record companies worldwide; GERA-Europe, representing entertainment retailers in Europe; GIART, representing music performers in Europe; the international musicians union FIM; and the International Music Managers Forum (IMMF). Pro-music has also drawn statements of support from a range of artists of all music genres from across Europe, as well as music companies such as MTV Europe and digital music distributor OD2.

INFORMATION ON PRO-MUSIC

The www.pro-music.org site features the following sections:

Making Music: a look behind the scenes at the specialist skills and practical experience needed to do some of the hundreds of different jobs that help composers, songwriters, musicians and artists attain their vision and get it out to the world. Making Music also expresses views from across the music-making community, from top successful managers to aspiring music students at the very start of their career.
Artists Speak: a range of artists and musicians, at different stages in their careers, explain how they feel about having their music taken without permission, how it effects the work and livelihoods of all those involved and how it stunts the development of new talent.
Music Online: the largest international listing of online digital music services and retailers, this section carries links to scores of music download sites and other sources of information about online music. It also contains news, commentary and a time-line the music sector's moves to create an online music business.
Viewpoints: features quotes from music specialists, including publishers large and small record labels, music associations, retailers and the media. The section also provides an overview of other campaigns launched by music groups from around the world.
Free Music?: This section confronts some of the biggest myths about on-line music piracy, such as "File sharing and burning is just like home taping, and that never killed the music sector", and "Free music sounds great - what's the problem?"
On Copyright: Copyright is often misunderstood or misrepresented as serving only the interests of big business. "On Copyright" explains why copyright is needed and what the laws mean. This section also provides a more technical explanation on how to reset or uninstall p2p software to stay legal, and provides guidance for companies and colleges who wish to implement policies to avoid copyright theft.

For further information contact:

Jenny Vacher, ICMP/CIEM, Tel. +33 1 4272 3899. Email 101374.25@compuserve.com
or Adrian Strain/Julie Harari at IFPI, Tel +44 207 878 7900

Notes to editors:

1. ICMP/CIEM:

ICMP/CIEM is the international trade association representing music publishing across Europe and worldwide. Its constituent members are national, regional and international music publishers' associations. Through these associations, ICMP/CIEM represents music publishers globally, serious and popular, independent and from within the multinational groups.

ICMP/CIEM's mission is to increase the level of copyright protection internationally, strengthen the position of the creative community and music publishers in the negotiation of licensing terms for musical works, improve efficiency in works management, create an industry forum for discussion and consolidation of global positions, and represent industry positions at international, regional and local levels.

ICMP/CIEM's Board is elected by the active member associations and appoints internal and external committees to carry out international and regional actions to support copyright and to address industry issues. ICMP/CIEM maintains direct relations with companies which are the most representative of the various music publishing sectors. Because of its diversified and global representation, ICMP/CIEM consolidates the views of the music publishing community. Press contact: Jenny Vacher, ICMP/CIEM, Tel. +33 1 42 72 38 99. Email 101374.25@compuserve.com

2. OTHER ORGANISATIONS SUPPORTING PRO-MUSIC

FIM
The International Federation of Musicians (http://www.fim-musicians.com) is the longest established and most comprehensive international organisation representing musicians in all genres of music.It has been fully involved in protecting musicians interests in all the developments arising from digital technology including the internet and associated communications technologies. Press contact: email: FIMparis@compuserve.com

GERA-Europe
The Global Entertainment Retail Association-Europe (www.gera-europe.org) represents entertainment retailers at a European level with respect to all issues that affect the way entertainment retailers do their business. Press contact: Ruben Schellingerhout, Tel: +32 2 626 1991, email: ruben.schellingerhout@gera-europe.org.

GIART
GIART is the International Organisation of Performing Artists composed of the European Collecting Societies of performers' rights whose purpose is to defend and to promote the intellectual property rights of performing artists at European and International level. Press contact: Francesca Greco, Tel: +32 2 732 53 92, Mobile: +32 476 208112

IFPI
IFPI (www.ifpi.org) promotes the interests of the recording industry worldwide and comprises a membership of over 1500 independent and major record companies in more than 70 countries. Press contact: Adrian Strain Tel: +44 (0)20 7878 7939, email: info@ifpi.org

IMMF
The International Music Managers Forum (http://www.immf.net) represents the interests of music managers, and by extension their 'featured artist' clients, at the global level; our membership, the national associations of music managers in many countries, represent the same interests to their respective local governments. The organisation aims to help managers be more successful in representing their artist-clients through training and capacity-building initiatives, by actively participating in the work of multilateral processes and organisations which help develop norms in the copyright field, and through facilitating information sharing between managers worldwide. Press contact: Kim Hunter, Tel: +44 (0)20 8800 1011, Mobile: +44 (0)7985 275 447, email press@immf.net.

Impala
The Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA) is an international non profit-making trade association representing over 1800 independent record companies and music publishers across Europe. Its purpose is to promote their competitiveness in the interests of cultural diversity. Press contact: Helen Smith, Tel: +32 2 289 2600, email: hsmith@kernnet.com