boycott-riaa.com - Article: Senator Speaks out on 'Seven-Year Rule'

Senator Speaks out on 'Seven-Year Rule'

Posted by Mike Darrah on August 14, 2002 at 9:12 AM (printer friendly)

California Senator Kevin Murray is continuing his push to repeal the 'Seven-Year Rule', which allows record companies to lock artists into unfair limitless contracts for their artistic works.

Currently, the music industry is the only industry legally allowed to hold their personal-services contracts beyond the maximum length of seven years (as per California state law). The law limiting the length of personal-services contracts in California was created to ensure that people could not be turned into "indentured servants" by having a limitless unfair contract term put upon them which they are unable to escape from.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) issued a public statement last week outlining the five concessions they are willing to make to satisfy the concerns of artists' groups (such as the Recording Artist Coalition or RAC) which are currently negotiating the matter with the RIAA. In response to this "outline of concessions", Senator Murray has publicly stated his concern with what the RIAA calls "compromises" are in fact tailored to represent demands of the labels and not that of the artists.

"For the RIAA to present their demands as compromises or concessions was an insult to the recording artists, attorneys, and managers that have been working for months to resolve this issue." - Senator Kevin Murray

The senator also proceeded to explain how this continued frustration being put upon the artists is only strengthening their desires to simply have this law repealed and removed from over their heads.

Additional information on the Recording Artist Coalition's stand on this matter can be reviewed in detail on their website.

In a public statement, Hilary Rosen (Chairman/CEO of the RIAA) stated they are able to "get there" and work this matter out with the artists directly.

User Comments (These do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of this site)


thumbtack	Date: August 14, 2002 @ 1:16 PM I listened to the hearings on this last fall and then bought the videotapes of the hearings. The recording industry pushed this and got it introduced back in the 80's as an exemption to existing CA. state law. In California, it is illegal to lock someone into a contrtact for longer than seven years. Even a shoe salesman, a garbage collector, or streetsweeper is covered. Are musicians? Nope thanks to the RIAA and the major labels. I read Hilary Rosen's comments on this and felt that she distorted the facts, as usual. She slammed Don Engels position, (remember he was the guy that accused the labels of fraudulent accounting in the recent hearings on label accounting practices). Once again "the Hilary" distorts the truth. She all but calls Kevin Marray a lair, forgeting that he is from the recoding industry, used to be a William Morris agent and work with Mike Curb at Curb records.

-X-	Date: August 16, 2002 @ 1:42 AM FYI a fellow PHO member pointed me to this updated info.. http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/news/rumormill.cgi MURRAY BILL ON HOLD, NEGOTIATIONS BREAK OFF: Sen. Kevin Murray (D-Los Angeles) announced today, at the request of the artists' representatives, he will not be moving Senate Bill 1246 forward this year. Instead, he will come back next year with a comprehensive legislative package on recording artists' rights that will include the seven-year statute, accounting practices, health care and pension benefits. "After months of negotiations on the seven-year issue, the RIAA and the recording artists were at an impasse on several major points. Rather than giving a simple, forthright account of the situation, the RIAA chose to send out a misleading and contradictory press release which was the final straw in the negotiations," said Don Henley, cofounder of the Recording Artist Coalition. (8/15p)

JimsMyName	Date: August 22, 2002 @ 1:39 PM P2P is wrong. It's piracy and that is stealing. No matter how much you want to deny it.

Jogadormusic	Date: August 23, 2002 @ 11:23 AM To Jimsmyname: I am so sorry you have been brainwashed into thinking that sharing is piracy and stealing. Sharing files has led to an increase in retail sales, and actually is a good marketing tool for the industry. Stop being so malleable to their positions which are spewed all over the press! Afterall, these are millionaires crying that they aren't making enough money! I suppose you support the RIAA going into your computer to disable your files also!???! In a democracy such an invasion of privacy is unconstitutional! Get with it or go live in a dictatorship. Don't turn this country into one.