Jason Dunn
03-10-2006, 11:30 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060310/wr_nm/piracy_dc' target='_blank'>http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060310/wr_nm/piracy_dc</a><br /><br /></div><i>"A pair of apparent Ryan Adams fans ran afoul of a new law making it a crime to publish songs before their release to the general public when they made portions of the singer's latest album available on a Web site frequented by his fans, federal authorities said Thursday...The indictments are believed to be the first under the prerelease provision of the 2005 FECA law. The men are alleged to have posted portions of Adams' "Jacksonville City Nights" on a fan Web site about a month before its official release last September. Adams records for Lost Highway Records, whose Universal Music Group parent did not grant authority for the Internet distribution."</i><br /><br />I believe that intentionality is always a vital part of interpreting the actions of any person, so this piece of news saddens me. While I do believe that a music artist has the right to control how his/her music is released to the public, I don't think the heavy-handed tactics of the FBI were necessary given that these were simply fans who made a poor decision, not hardened criminals trying to rip off the artist.