Music lovers aren’t the only ones affected by the miserable...

often find the work is immediately available on illegal download sites, and entrepreneurs who want to offer innovative streaming-based services, social media or cloud services come up against compartmentalized national markets, he said. That’s despite the fact that the potential of the online music sector is “immense,” with 30 percent of worldwide record label sales already taking place on the Internet and revenues up by 8 percent in 2011 alone, he said. “It is incomprehensible that Europeans are finding on the Internet obstacles they have been removing in the physical world for over 50 years.” He said copyright must no longer be part of the roadblock, he said. The European Commission will lead a “structured dialogue” among all stakeholders beginning by the end of the year that will try to address two issues: (1) How can digital content be made portable across borders? (2) How can legal certainty be established regarding user-generated content? If no answers are forthcoming, the EC is prepared to regulate, he said. Royalty collecting societies play a key role in Europe but the 30 organizations that collect copyright on musical works are subject to 30 different sets of rules, he said. The directive on collective rights management will ensure the societies are properly governed and make it easier to grant multi-territory licenses, he said. Besides licenses, creators’ works must be better protected online, and the EC is discussing the best way to respect copyright. The discussion should be broadened, moreover, to issues such as whether it’s acceptable to allow advertising revenue to be collected by service providers who facilitate illegal file-sharing, he said. Solutions must stress the fight against infringement on a commercial scale in accordance with the principle of “follow the money,” he said. Barnier called on stakeholders to discuss the “legitimization” of copyright in the digital age. “We cannot give free rein to the illusion that everything is free” or allow the impression that in an age where full duplication is instant and infinite, unlimited sharing of protected content is covered by a kind of “digital natural law,” particularly when the objective is profit, he said. On Monday at midem, the Worldwide Independent Network of indie music companies unveiled a manifesto. Among other things, the manifesto: (1) Calls for equal market access and parity of terms with Universal, Warner and Sony in exchange for growing the value of music and the music industry. (2) Supports artists’ freedom to decide how their works can be used commercially and encourages them to speak out against unauthorized uses. (3) Promotes transparency of commercial terms in the digital music market. (4) Opposes further consolidation in the recorded music, publishing and radio sectors. (5) Backs the establishment of a worldwide, track-level, sound recording rights database to ensure accurate distribution of royalties.