KEY POINTS:
Media commentator Russell Brown has hit out against RIANZ chief executive Campbell Smith and his assertion that digital downloading is killing the local music industry.
Smith made headlines last week when he told Parliament's commerce select committee that a decline in CD sales had led several musicians to seek secondary employment.
In a lengthy article posted on the blog site Public Address, Brown challenged Smith's comments, saying "If Scribe's scatching a bit, that'll be because he hasn't had a new album in nearly four years."
Smith, whose company CRS Management represents Scribe and other leading artists, spoke to the select committee last week, presenting the RIANZ submission.
The select committee is considering amendments to copyright laws to cover new technologies.
Brown, who has seen the submission, said he was "very disappointed by parts of it," and went on to critique the report.
Among his criticisms, Brown singled out RIANZ's aversion to licencing music to sites with no-DRM policies.
DRM - or digital rights management - are embedded controls within a CD or music file, which restrict listeners from copying music illegally.
Since Smith's comments last week, dozens of readers have contacted the Herald to speak out on the issue.
One of the main comments expressed by our readers was the frustration of legally purchasing music, only to find they are unable to copy files onto personal MP3 players or other hardware due to DRM technologies.
Lyn wrote: "I hear it, I like it, I buy it, I play it... Once I have a legal copy I expect to be able to listen to it anytime, anywhere, anyway, as it is my right to get what I pay for."
Many readers also challenged Smith's claims that local artists' record sales were suffering due to illegal downloads.
Bing wrote: "That's just BS because I can't find any Kiwi songs or bands for illegal download on all the popular peer to peer sites."
Likewise, Neil wrote: "The peer to peer system I use which can usually provide tens of thousands of titles, has only a handful of Bic's music. I can't see how such a small market as New Zealand music can even feature as a download problem for the industry."
Mr Smith has not responded to the Herald's requests for comment.
