350+ musicians demand major labels drop their suit to destroy the Internet Archive, major change in the music industry

Today, over 350 musicians released a letter urging major record labels to drop a lawsuit that could destroy the Internet Archive, and for the industry as a whole to take transformative action to support working musicians. Signers of the letter include Tegan & Sara Quin, Amanda Palmer, diiv, Open Mic Eagle, Kathleen Hannah, and Michael Travis of The String Cheese Incident.

The letter reads in part:

“By 2031, music industry revenues will exceed 100 billion dollars, yet the average musician is struggling to survive. We’re priced out of touring by LiveNation’s abusive monopolies, and screwed over on royalties as big labels profit from Spotify’s unfair streaming revenue model. 

Music is demonetized and censored by DSPs, sued off the Internet Archive by major labels, and physical archives have gone up in flames because of corporate profiteering. It’s no surprise that mental health is a crisis among musicians—we’re sick with worry wondering if anything will be left of our life’s work.”

Read the letter and view a full list of signatories here. 

The letter continues to accept signatures.

In addition to decrying the destruction of the Internet Archive in their name, musicians call for several concrete actions from their industry’s biggest players. Demands include an end to the industry’s vertical investment in DSPs like Spotify and a partnership with the Internet Archive to preserve the legacies of musicians for generations to come.

Major labels’ suit centers on the nonprofit’s efforts to preserve 50-120 year old recordings from 78 records. The suit seeks $621 million for streams that are estimated to cost no more than $41,000. If successful, it could destroy the nonprofit, including its WayBack Machine, which archives the history of the Internet and was recently celebrated for saving MTV News. 

Audrey Zee Whitesides (she/her), musician organizer and bassist of indie rock band Speedy Ortiz, said: “Musicians want music to be heard, and we don’t want major labels unfairly shutting down access to historic music just to line their own pockets. The Internet Archive’s Great 78s project not only reminds us of the wonderful musical history of our forebears, but also of how many of them never received real compensation for their work, from the same labels now suing the Internet Archive. We can’t let this cycle of exploitation continue. I’ve spoken with musicians, historians, preservationists, and writers working in many genres, especially genres represented in the Great 78s project, and it’s clear: we want to let historic music find new life, and make current music provide a living.”

Kathleen Hanna (she/her), lead singer of feminist punk band Bikini Kill, said: “If musicians are not paid a living wage the only people who will be able to make music will be people with inherited wealth. This will cancel out the voices of people who need to be heard the most, and create a boring, stale non-artistic environment for everyone who loves music.”

Lia Holland (they/she), Campaigns and Communications Director at artist-led organization Fight for the Future, which organized the letter, said: “For far too long, the interests of musicians and the actions of the mega-corporations that are supposed to represent them have been out-of-sync. This suit from major record labels is only the latest example of a long history of wrongheaded moves that are being made in musician’s names, but without their support. When musicians hear that one of the world’s greatest forces for preservation and access to knowledge might be sued out of existence to ‘protect’ them, they’re outraged. Suing the Internet Archive into oblivion isn’t going to get musicians fair pay—in fact, it’s unclear if any of the $621 million that major labels are suing for would ever reach musicians or their families. Just like Universal let the masters of a half million songs go up in flames, sooner or later musicians are going to burn down all these giant corporations that are abusing their power. This letter should scare the daylights out of the industry’s biggest players.”

Oliver Ackermann (he/him), founder of the effects pedal company Death By Audio and guitarist and vocalist for A Place to Bury Strangers, said: “Music is so important and fun it should be supported and celebrated by the industry as much as possible. The Internet Archive’s work is an amplification of all the love and hard work that goes into making and loving music. There should be a place for what they do in this world, and a place for musicians to thrive following their dreams. We shouldn’t lose sight of why we’re all here: because music is a life-changing thing. That deserves so much respect.”