The CRIA says its owners, the members of the Big 4 Organized Music cartel, are being "devastated" by customers who share music with each other. These men, women and children are "criminals" and "thieves," say Warner Music (US), EMI (Britain), Vivendi Universal (France) and Sony BMG (Japan and Germany).

With file sharing, no money changes hands and no one has been deprived, permanently or temporarily, of something he or she used to own.

But files shared equal sales lost, says the CRIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association of America).

That notwithstanding, however, somehow, Canada's digital download market grew more than any major market in 2006, state new Nielsen BDS statistics.

Why, then, are the Big 4 still trying to find ways to sue Canadian music fans?

The Canadian Music Creators Coalition wants to know. And so do Canadians.

"Propping up old business models that favour multinational record companies’ interests ahead of those of Canadian artists just doesn’t make sense," says the Bare Naked Ladies' Steven Page.

According to Nielsen, Canadian music download sales grew by 120% in 2006, well ahead of the 80% growth in Europe and 65% growth in the US, and overall sales grew 10%, says a CMCC statement, going on:

"Despite this growth, recent Canadian Press reports indicate that the major foreign music labels continue to pressure the federal government to move forward with radical changes to Canada’s Copyright Act. Major label representatives have consistently said that the only way the industry can survive is by making it easier to sue music downloaders and by providing legal protection to so-called 'digital locks'."

CMCC members, some of the, "very artists copyright laws are designed to protect," aren’t convinced, says the group, which includes performers such as Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, BNL, Broken Social Scene, Matthew Good, Metric, Randy Bachman, Billy Talent, Sloan, Chantal Kreviazuk and Sum 41.

Major record label lobbyists are, "looking out for their shareholders, and seldom speak for Canadian artists," says the group. "Legislative proposals that would facilitate lawsuits against our fans or increase the labels' control over the enjoyment of music are made not in our names, but on behalf of the labels’ foreign parent companies."

"Fans who share music are not thieves or pirates," stated the CMCC when it started up last year. "Sharing music has been happening for decades."

The CMCC says it stands on three key foundations:

Suing Our Fans is Destructive and Hypocritical

Artists do not want to sue music fans. The labels have been suing our fans against artists’ will, and laws enabling these suits cannot be justified in artists’ names

Digital Locks are Risky and Counterproductive

Artists do not support using digital locks to increase the labels’ control over the distribution, use and enjoyment of music or laws that prohibit circumvention of such technological measures. Consumers should be able to transfer the music they buy to other formats under a right of fair use, without having to pay twice.

Cultural Policy Should Support Actual Canadian Artists

The vast majority of new Canadian music is not promoted by major labels, which focus mostly on foreign artists. The government should use other policy tools to support actual Canadian artists and a thriving musical and cultural scene.

"The industry seems to say that if you don’t support suing downloaders you support giving music away for free," says Page.

"That’s simply not true. In fact, there are numerous third-way alternatives out there. Changes to Canada’s copyright laws should reflect where our music business is going rather than looking back to where it has come from."

Said New Democratic Party heritage critic Charlie Angus last year, "When a consumer legally purchases a CD they should not have to worry whether the disc is infected with spy ware that worms its way into their computer. Neither should the consumer worry that a company like Sony has the power to decide whether or not your favourite song can be played on an iPod, a hard drive or a non-Sony CD player. It is our job as Parliamentarians to protect consumers from the unchecked use of digital locks.

"And when it comes to assessing the 'threats' or 'benefits' from P2P, politicians need to be very wary about proscribing emerging technologies simply because it is upsetting existing business models."

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Also See:
CMCC statement - CMCC Congratulates Industry on Unparalleled Growth in Electronic Music Sales, January 30, 2007
should not have to worry - Feds face digital crossroads, May 16, 2006