On Air On Sale press release: Dying on the Cross of Self-Interest
MMF and the FAC have just issued the following press statement regarding the issue of On Air On Sale, sometimes also referred to as Day and Date.
Dying On The Cross Of Self-Interest
In the past week there has been much comment about the progress or not of the ‘On Air On Sale’ initiative. The FAC and MMF have been supporters of On Air On Sale from the start.
When fans hear music and want to consume it we need to provide legal means to do so. As an industry we need to grasp the nettle of monetising consumer behaviour.
As an industry, we’re either in favour of a world where artists, labels & managers hold back releases to manipulate the charts, or we’re in favour of a world where licensed download services are the first port of call for new music. Which is it?
As an industry we campaigned for the stick of the Digital Economy Act yet happily turn a blind eye when it suits us. On Air On Sale is not On Air On Sale if we apply it selectively.
As an industry if we let On Air On Sale collapse then everybody will know we are incapable of self-regulation.
The Government is due to comment on the recommendations of the Hargreaves Report on removing barriers to licensing. If we can’t walk through what should be the open door of On Air On Sale what chance do we have of creating better licensing solutions without outside influence?
We should not let On Air On Sale die on the cross of self-interest.