This is my statement to the AKM board (AKM is the rights organization in Austria). AKM refuse to talk with me. I ask a member of the CC Austrian community if they might possibly present this statement to the board of AKM or any of their partners in what-ever form you/they choose.
Under new laws that were introduced to the EU, my understanding is that rights organizations are able to compete in different territories. This means that artists that have not signed an exclusive agreements can do the same, we have the right to be our own rights organization. AKM have known this for some time, yet have intentionally violated my human right to issue licences as i choose in conjunction with the contracts that i agree with.
Artist join rights organizations for many reasons, some include.
1) to collect royalties.
2) to give media the legal platform to use the works that artists in the community create.
3) so artists can get together and make songs together and then have those songs performed in a public space, with the appropriate legal platform.
It seems that AKM's policy is dominated by policies that revolve around the collection of royalties.
With most household's having an Internet connection, the need for publishers and labels is much less. The Internet is able to copy many things around the world at the click of a button. Technology makes point 2 & 3 more important than 1 for new innovative creators. Unfortunately the way that the boards are elected in rights organizations (in Australia for example, for every 500 dollars that an artist or publisher collect they get an extra vote) mean that the collection of royalties has dominated how these non-profit organizations operate, since they began.
The ripple effect of this voting policy within organizations such as AKM and its partners is having a huge effects everywhere.
AKM have instructed me that if I am to license my songs freely in Austria that I'm not able to collect any royalties. The new policies that allow competition within the European union, allow me to license what i create where i choose. My understanding is that its not possible to make something non-exclusive to exclusive under any laws within Europe. If my rights are under a non-exclusive management agreement, its my right to deal with those rights as i choose and be a member of ASCAP.
If AKM choose to change their reciprocal agreements with ASCAP, this has nothing to do with me. I'm under no obligation to change the way i deal with my rights as a result of the way that AKM choose to deal with the rights that ASCAP issue in the territory of Austria. I can issue content for free and collect royalties where appropriate. Many spaces have no agreements with AKM or partners. Its my right to innovate.
Consider that AKM is most likely more dependent on ASCAP's content than ASCAP is dependent on AKM's content. AKM offer artist a exclusive agreement rather than a non-exclusive one, AKM policy over many years I feel has put the market place (from my view) into a situation where very little competition exists for the use of sound recordings. The government with many NGO's and councils has had to step in and find solutions for artists that want to create. Now these non-government organizations look to be dependent on a system that maintains exclusivity for the artist contract.
My view is that this means that the artist is unable to innovate and participate in the market place without the help of an NGO or a corporation. Yet these non-profits entwined with corporations look to no-longer be relevant to the modern creator. Any change that these non-profits manufacture in conjunction with corporations are sure to create more culture similar to that of the commercial culture already in place.
The situation looks to have created a situation in Austria (Europe) where even the punk now has to fill in a form or join a queue with a begging bowl.
The word independent means dependency on something that does not have a direct deal with a major, yet ultimately almost all the labels, publishers and artists that want to be heard through the centralized system (or even just on myspace it seems) are tied together via the rights organizations.
Artists that are not dependent on AKM are in a situation where they have to prove that the songs they make are not within the catalog of AKM, for a space/media not to have a pay a fee for use of media.
The policy's that AKM and their partners create ensure that the self publishing artists are at the mercy of the publishing system, yet with the Internet, publishing mechanism of the past are far less important.
What's worse is that the commercial air waves of Austria seem mostly dominated by content that has arrived via a very competitive US market place, rather than performers within the community of Austria. Self publishing Austrian (European) artists rights are locked up under exclusive management conditions that do not allow rights to compete in the US market place, yet many create content suited to the American culture rather than Austrian culture.
My intention has never been to collect royalties for the use of songs i create, the intention has always been to have people hear the songs. I have tried every commercial means possible in Austria (Europe) to get the attention of the people. Its just not possible for the type of music i create. The non-profit organizations that run most of the spaces in Austria are also not able to work in conjunction with me as I'm not with an Austrian cultural label or part of a culturally funded publisher. My only choice is often to direct license.
My understanding is that my songs (that have been used in a major release film) also need the legal platform that rights organizations provide for use in the territory of Austria. If i was to stop collecting royalties in the territory of Austria (as AKM instruct me to do) for the use of the songs I create, then what platform does the media in Austria have to use those songs?
My rights are managed under a non-exclusive agreement, this means i can also deal with my rights as I choose. As i understand it, its my right to do business as i choose in Austria. I ask that AKM allow me to do business as i choose with the songs that i wrote in the territory of Austria (Europe). Respect the licenses that i issue. As i said, I wrote these songs for people to hear them. The centralized media in Austria (Europe) has no interest in the works i create, for the reasons I explain above (from the point of view of my experience). The same problems in Austria can be applied to every European territory. I have been in Europe almost 5 years and found the same brick wall in every territory.
The system is not valid anymore and is best dismantled or deregulated.
The problems i have apply to all artists that want to tour with what they create around Europe that are not connected with the publishing industry, in some way shape or form.
