No Rock And Roll Fun

GOOD OLD BPI: They're not just there for the nasty things in life, like threatening legal action and slavishly following the lead set down by the RIAA. They're also good guys, you know: look, they're desperate to ensure indie labels don't get closed out of the download bonanza and are lobbying to ensure... what, exactly?

"We want to ensure that independent repertoire is as successful in the download world as it is in the physical world," said BPI chief Peter Jamieson.

In other words, they're really keen for indie labels to continue providing acts to make up for the shortcomings of the major's A&R departments, and if the successful indie acts aren't heavily promoted on iTunes, the dimwitted major's chequebook department might find it tricky to work out who they're meant to be hoovering up. The worry is, of course, that if they don't help indies get onto the RIAA-approved download market, the indies might go elsewhere and not play with them at all any more. And since the new music world doesn't really need the BPI at all, the BPI needs to work hard to try and keep everyone in its playpen.

music downloads indie