Posted: Mon., Jan. 20, 2003, 8:40am PT

Robbie supports music piracy

Brit popstar told Midem delegates 'it's great'

By Yinka Adegoke

Williams

CANNES -- Robbie Williams put piracy right at the top of the agenda at music industry confab Midem in Cannes, France, albeit for the wrong reasons.

The British popstar, who recently signed a £80 million ($128 million) deal with EMI/Capitol, said he believed music piracy was a good idea at a press conference over the weekend. "I think it's great, really I do. There's nothing anyone can do about it. I'm sure my record label would hate me saying it, and my management and accountants."

In the past, Williams has supported moves to prevent the illegal downloading of music. He signed a petition in July 2000 which called on the EU Copyright Directive to allow artists to use technology to protect their works and to stop Internet piracy.

Williams' views infuriated industry music execs and he was rounded on by Jay Berman, chief executive of the International Federation of Phonographic Industries in his keynote speech at MIDEM, Sunday.

Berman, who said the industry is fighting back against the piracy to help recover lost sales, peppered his speech with frequent references to Williams' comments.

He said of online piracy in particular that it is a myth that the Internet will kill the music industry. "On the contrary, in 2003 we are going to be working the Internet much harder, with a strategy of helping to promote new legitimate services while at the same time actively targeting the sources of online piracy."

The RIAA, sister body of IFPI, released figures Sunday that claimed revenue lost to the music industry through CD and online piracy was up by 20% or $700 to $800 million, bringing the total to over $5 billion.

But Berman's views were tempered by some of the stars his organization is trying to support.

Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean told Daily Variety that while piracy was bad for the industry he recognized its potential as a marketing tool. "It affects us artists, but [downloading] still gives us the credibility factor though." However, he added, "They have got to find a way to control it as it is killing the business."

Chris Schwartz, chief executive of Ruffhouse Nation, the label responsible for the success of the Fugees and recently re-signed in a distribution deal with Columbia Records, agreed with Jean. "Piracy is the quickest way to get a record out. There was a time early in my days with Columbia Records when I was glad if my record got bootlegged," he said.

Schwartz made it clear, however, that he was very much against mass copying or organized piracy. "I'm not condoning piracy in any way," he stressed.

In a separate but related announcement, Spanish police arrested 40 people Friday after uncovering a major piracy ring operating in the country. It is one of the largest operations ever mounted against piracy in Spain.

AYFVE, the Spanish recording industry organization and IFPI Spain, handed results of initial investigations to Spanish police in September. Police investigations began the same month and the operation culminated in the arrest of 40 people, including all heads of the organization, which was Chinese-run. The gang used a number of computer shops and restaurants to launder money generated by pirated product.