Another day, another e-mail from Universal Music Group Distribution CEO Jim Urie. Last time he urged people to write to Congress to support Music Rights Now, an organization that wants Congress to step in on music pirating. All well and good, except that their thinking is fairly backwards, and the organization’s wish to get Congress to regulate ISPs is more than unnerving.
With his latest e-mail, Urie proudly writes how the response “has been remarkable – nearly 14,000 messages to Congress have already been sent!”
Yes, almost 14,000 messages! That’s right, less than 14,000 people took the enormous amount of time needed to fill out an online form.
That’s a lot of messages. Here’s how to put it into a greater perspective:
-It’s nearly 4.98 times the number of physical copies that The Melvins’s The Bride Screamed Murder sold in its first week, enough for that band to crack the Billboard 200! (2,809 copies)
-It’s nearly 4.39 times the number of people who tweeted about The Huffington Post’s brief about the cover of Katy Perry’s new album in less than seven hours! (3,189 tweets)
-It’s nearly 7.5 percent of the number of people who like Animal Collective on Facebook! (186,650 likes)
-It’s nearly 1.2 percent of the number of visits to the Hype Machine in May 2010! (1,162,556 visits according to compete.com)
-It’s nearly .0056 percent of the number of views Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” has gotten on YouTube! (249,115,097 plays)
You get the picture. Urie’s stand on the issue aside, the man should certainly be concerned that, despite the number of people who filled out an online form to support him, there are millions and millions of music lovers, fans and consumers who, for one reason or another, aren’t getting behind him.
You can read Urie’s email below:
Dear LEOR ,
The response to the industry’s campaign on music piracy last month (below) has been remarkable – nearly 14,000 messages to Congress have already been sent!  The feedback and interest among our community has been overwhelming.  Together, I am confident Congress will hear our call — but we need to be louder still.
If you have not yet sent an e-mail to Congress via this link, please do. It only takes a moment and will make a difference.
If you have already sent an e-mail to your members of Congress – thank you.  Please consider making an even bigger impact by asking your friends, family and colleagues to join us. You can easily forward the e-mail by clicking here.
I’ll be in touch in the weeks ahead to update you on Congressional activity and other opportunities to get involved in protecting and defending the industry and art form that we all love.  In the meantime, be sure to join our Facebook community on www.musicrightsnow.org for news and information of interest.
Sincerely,
Jim Urie
Learn More at www.musicrightsnow.org
