Forget Broken Bells

I received an email from their lawyers to remove the link in my piece about the band Broken Bells.
It linked the song, 'High Road,' not for downloading, mind you - for streaming.

I looked this morning and found no less than eleven sites with the song for play...
I'm a musician, I pay for music I want.
I do not encourage downloading content in any manner other than legally.

But if their label won't bother to have the various clips removed from youtube and the other sites it tells me they are just targeting small sites. My blog for instance. I would wager if I had linked youtube instead, I never would have received the threatening email.

Since the record industry has not figured a new way to deliver content  they have resorted to suing end users in an effort to send a message.
The trouble is they have lost sight of the audience. Their customers. Bothering the listener and not the pirates who churn out forged CD/DVDs or the sites that provide links to download content is a misguided effort to control distribution.

Forget that.

Here is the email:
WEB SHERIFF has left a new comment on your post "Two Minds With But A Single Thought":

WEB SHERIFF
Who You Gonna Call
Tel 44-(0)208-323 8013
Fax 44-(0)208 323 8080
websheriff@websheriff.com
www.websheriff.com

Hi E,

On behalf of Columbia Records, Monotone and Broken Bells, many thanks for plugging "Broken Bells" / the artists’ eponymous album on your site (street date 9th March) ... thanks, also, on behalf of the label, management and artists for not posting any pirate links to unreleased (studio) material and, if you / your readers want good quality, non-pirated, preview tracks, then full length versions of "The High Road" (as already featured by you) and "Vaporize" are available for fans and bloggers to link to / post / host etc at www.brokenbells.com ... .. for further details of the new album, special pre-orders, on-line promotions, videos and 2010 shows, check-out the official site, as well as the artists’ MySpace at www.myspace.com/brokenbells and YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/brokenbells ... .. and keep an eye on these official sources for details of further news, preview material and on-line promotions.

Thanks again for your plug.

Regards & Season’s Greetings,

WEB SHERIFF