Neal Schon recently expressed his views about Lars Ulrich’s early 2000s stance against Napster on X, linking it to ongoing discussions about artists’ rights in the age of streaming.
Schon’s Views Following The New AI Regulations
An X page recently shared the news about Joe Biden’s executive order introducing new standards and regulations against the use of AI in music and art.
The President’s decision included a requirement to ‘share the AI systems’ safety test results and other critical information with the US government,’ which prompted Schon to reply:
“This is great! Now, how about addressing all streaming for us musicians that have been getting ripped off for years? How is it that our percentages that used to be in our contracts just get overturned because of all streaming?”
Supporting Ulrich’s Fight Against Unauthorized Streaming
Another X user brought up Ulrich’s stance against unauthorized streaming in the early 2000s, saying that they ‘were right’ when they started a legal battle against Napster for using Metallica’s songs without permission, although it caused a backlash against them at the time.
The journey guitarist agreed and added:
“Yes, he was with Napster. He took all the heat, but he was correct.”
The Guitarist’s Concerns About The Payment Issues
Schon shared his concerns about digital streaming services’ negative impact on musicians a few times on social media, with an example coming in August 2023 upon Snoop Dogg’s explanations on the matter.
Dogg criticized the issue of low payment to the musicians on such services by saying it ‘didn’t make sense to him’ during a panel discussion, as the guitarist supported him with a tweet that read:
“Snoop is right. Another analogy is why do we still get paid for vinyl the same? Oh, because they can’t stream it. It’s majorly f**ked up.”
He repeated his point on the matter during the recent X chat when a user commented, ‘Vinyl is everything,’ by writing:
“Yes, if we are still making the same royalties as when our contracts were first made on vinyl, why shouldn’t [it] be like that in every format just because they haven’t changed the law? Give me a f**king break.”
The Napster Case And More
When Schon commented on the payment issue on digital platforms in the August tweets about Snoop Dogg’s stance on the matter, another musician on X said, ‘A stream should be worth a lot more.’ So, the guitarist posted:
“They got away with it years ago, and it stayed like the plague.”
Napster couldn’t be one of the platforms that could ‘get away with it,’ though. In March 2001, after months of legal battle, the federal district court judge ruled in favor of Metallica.
Following the orders from a preliminary injunction, Napster filtered and removed all copyrighted Metallica songs from its system within 72 hours. But as more lawsuits came its way, the streaming service filed for bankruptcy in the following months.
Recently, attention shifted to Spotify, with artists raising concerns about its payment model. Some musicians chose to leave the platform, citing disagreements with the 70% cut-up from the streamed material.
This is great ! Now how about addressing All streaming for us musicians that have been getting ripped off for years. How is it that our percentages that used to be in our contracts just get overturned because of All streaming ? https://t.co/WnqTAvNCTk
— NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) October 30, 2023
Yes he he was with Napster. He took all the heat, but he was correct.
— NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) October 30, 2023
Yes if we are still making the same royalties as when our contracts were first made on vinyl why shouldn’t be like that in every format just because they haven’t change the law? Give me a fucking break. https://t.co/UZfP1w5wi8
— NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) October 31, 2023
