Lyrics.ch update: Sign the petition

Julien Mercay wrote in to send us a link to a petition where you can Express your distaste for what happened to the Lyrics Server. So go fill it out. And tell your friends.

The marketplace will dictate

[gavinhall]

Posted by Mr. Fingers:

I'm steamed about losing lyrics.ch, and it's going to be a pain in the ass and wallet to find lyrics for my dance band. But eventually, the lyrics service will resurface as an amply financed and legal entity.

The copyright law is out of my league - won't even try to argue that. But it seems to me that the lyrics server's 100 million hits a day illustrates a viable market for a central lyrics database.

After it all shakes out, I can see CDnow negotiating license agreements with music publishers to distribute lyrics with the record industry's blessing. CDnow would gain ad revenues and could also tie the lyrics to CDs or even direct downloads. Lyrics would become an additional hook for new and repeat visitors to their site.

It's just a matter of time...

Sign this petition, people.

[Effugas]

Yeah, it's a pain in the ass to sign a petition.

Do it.

Here's a guy who has been busting his ass keeping a server up for you, and a company that *YOU SUPPORT* with *YOUR MUSIC DOLLARS* is trying to *criminally prosecute* this guy.

That takes serious balls. Said balls require kicking.


Once you pull the pin, Mr. Grenade is no longer your friend.

Should I sign this petition?

[dattaway]

I agree and want to sign, but it asks for my street address where I actually live to be distributed to that music association. Is this like giving your ID to the SPA for a license audit? Even though I live in the back woods, I do not want the hassle of being asked whats on my computer if a group shows up at my door and wait for a search warrant when I say no.

Damn, I'll sign anyway. This is war. If they want to fight on my doorstep, let them come on over and play!

Agree

[John Zero]

I agree with the petition. I have bought many music CD's in the past, and most of the time, the lyrics were NOT included... So where else could I get it than from a lyrics site like this?

Oh, and what's next? They're going to shut down libraries too? In some libraries there are some music CDs which can be borrowed like books...

And last, I think this (lyrics.ch) should qualify as 'fair use' of copyrighted material...

This petition will do nothing.

[Martin Hock]

I think that Harry Fox et al already know that quite a few people visited lyrics.ch. I think this is why they shut them down, because they saw this as an infringement of copyrights and a denial of revenue, or something. If it was some shitty little page, they wouldn't have noticed or cared.

Why do I bring this up? Because all this petition is really saying is, "I liked the lyrics server." They already know that people liked it through the statistics. They really don't care. It also says "I disagree with what you're doing," but Harry Fox isn't trying to be popular. Really, I hope that people who sign this petition are only doing so to show their support, not because they think that it will do anything.

Now, if there was some way of boycotting this group, something real could happen. But I'm not sure if this is actually possible.

additional...

[aurora]

...what we could do is:
you've a cd without lyrics? call the record-label and ask them where to get the lyrics when not from lyrics.ch. i think: for that money, that they want to have for cds nowadays, we've the right to get the lyrics. i'll try next week with some cds of me, maybe if there are enough people calling labels and there are enough people signing the petition, it'll help, to get lyrics.ch to work again. why using warez? that doesn't change anything. it's my right, to get the lyrics, isn't it? i buy a cd,... i buy the music and the text!!!

Thanks to /.

[kf6nux]

Thanks /. for keeping me informed on this. The lyrics server was something I was very sad to see go.
/. rocks!

-kf6nux

They aren't even protecting their OWN interests!

[Chembal]

This is just more confirmation that the music industry execs care less about their customers and more about flexing their legal muscles just because they can. Heck, this recent move doesn't even benefit THEM!

By industry groups tearing down public service sites such as these, all they are doing is angering their customer base. This will ultimately result in less business for them, due to customers seeking any other source of music just to spite them.

They may be trying to reduce copyright infringements and music piracy, but every time they pull one of these they just increase it.

Long Live MP3!

stupid

[dangerboy]

ok...i've never visited the lyrics server, myself, but as long as he puts proper credits on his lyrics pages, how the hell is that illegal? or more importantly, who fucking cares?