58 R&R May 22, 1998 NASHVILLE THIS WEEK

The 'Wild West' Of The Internet Nashville tackles music piracy and rights to website domain names Allison Moorer

When it comes to patrolling the Internet, attorney Hal Barza come more important." So far, the primary purpose of NEW ARTIST FACT FILE says, "This is the Wild West, in a way. It's unchartered waters." McGraw's website - www funzone Barza is representing 27 country art- 4mcgraw.com - has been to maintain Current Single: "A Soft Place To Fall" ists who are trying to regain their "do- COUNTRY contact with his fans. Siman reported Current Album, Label: Debut album set for September 8 main names," which are now being great success in previewing a McGraw release (MCA) FLASHBACK video on the website a week before its used to attract fans to unauthorized Influences: Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Emmylou websites. A senior partner in the Los official debut on CMT. While there 1 YEAR AGO Harris, Gram Parsons Angeles law firm of Loeb & Loeb, Bar- was some concern the Internet pre- za filed a federal lawsuit against a Cal- No. 1:"I Miss You A Little"- view would detract from the excite- ifornia businessman after the artists' John Michael Montgomery ment of the CMT premiere, Siman Background names led unsuspecting country fans to said the channel's ratings actually dou- 5 YEARS AGO "The planets have been lined up a website containing pornography. bled when the video made its cable de- for about a year now," Allison Barza made the comments last No.1: "Ain'tThat LonelyYet" but. "Really, all we did was create de- Moorer says. Although her debut week in Nashville during the Country - DwightYoakam mand for it," he said. Siman's office album won't be released until Sep- Music Association's second annual also received letters from appreciative tember, the Alabama native's first 10 YEARS AGO Music Industry & New Technology fans in isolated areas that are not single, "A Soft Place To Fall;' is fea- conference. Billed as "Get Download- No. 1:"I Told You So"-Randy served by cable TV. tured on the soundtrack of the Rob- ing: Property & Piracy;' the panel dis- Travis Pirate Proliferation ert Redford film The Horse Whis- Tim McGraw's perer. In addition to being featured cussion also featured Aside from the use of domain manager, Scott Siman, and attracted 15 YEARS AGO alongside George Strait and Dwight names, artists from all formats are be- an audience that included several key Yoakam on the soundtrack album, No. 1:"You Take Me For coming increasingly aware of recorded - industry players such as Bob Doyle Moorer also makes a cameo ap- Granted" - Merle Haggard work piracy on the Internet. To dem- and Barry Coburn. pearance in the just -released film. 20 YEARS AGO onstrate the technology now available, Moorer grew up in a small com- Registration Issues RIAA Associate Anti -Piracy Counsel munity about 50 miles north of Mo- No.1: "I'm Always On A Denise Incorvaia played a segment not even a town;' she says. Domain names for Internet sites are bile. "It's Allison Moorer Mountain When I Fall"- Merle from LeAnn Rimes' "You Light Up 'There's not even a stoplight' Moor overseen by Network Solutions Inc., a Haggard My Life" that was downloaded at er and her older sister singer Around the time Moorer was private organization that relies on the - - no cost for near-CD quality from a Shelby Lynne grew up in a cre- signed to MCA, Brown was work- honor system when businesses or indi- - - college student's Internet site. ative atmosphere. "My mother's ing with Robert Redford's produc- viduals contact them about registering nessman was demanding a financial Detailing a brief history of Internet family was real musical," Moorer tion office on The Horse Whisperer a name for a website. Although NSI has payment in return for use of the do- piracy, Incorvaia said, "At first, what says. "My dad played guitar and soundtrack. Moorer explains, 'They an in-house system of resolving con- main names. "They are often called we were seeing was college music. It's dabbled in songwriting. If they wanted a Joe Ely song for the flicts surrounding the use of those cyber-squatters," Barza said, noting not like that anymore. If you've got a weren't playing their own music, soundtrack, and Tony stuck 'Call My names, Barza said some of the disputes that large corporations are sometimes I CD out, there's a good chance it's on they were playing records" Name' -a song wrote with my eventually make their way to the courts. asked to pay as much as $250,000 for Ely the Internet." The day after this year's Moorer enjoyed the sounds of husband - after the Joe song. NSI honors the federal court rulings. use of their names, depending on the Without saying anything about it, he Academy Awards, she said an Internet George Jones and Tammy Wynette, In the case involving the country estimated value. just stuck it on there, hoping they'd site was providing a free download of but she got even more excited acts, Barza said the artists' names were Siman, who helped lead the Nash- when she heard Waylon Jennings hear it. In the meantime, my pub- the entire Titanic soundtrack. In the registered on behalf of an unautho- ville contingency involved in the Cal- and Willie Nelson. She says, "They lisher [Windswept Pacific] pitched 'A wake of Garth Brooks releasing his rized fan club. Once the businessman ifornia case, said, "Our whole purpose were cool ... they were different. Soft Place To Fall' for the movie. six -CD boxed set, The Limited Series, secured the registrations, he refused to was to unite as a group and make a That Outlaws record still holds up They ended up liking that song bet- Incorvaia said another site was offer- relinquish the names to the individual stand" Acknowledging that it was an today" ter" Although no collusion was in- ing a free download of Brooks' entire artists. Barza said the businessman economically efficient method, Siman After graduating from the Univer- volved, Moorer admits, "It was sort catalog. "I think a lot of people would would "park these names" at a gener- added, "Any one artist could spend sity of South Alabama, Moorer of like Tony and Windswept Pacific prefer the price of zero, even though ic website, www.countrymusic.com, tons of money trying to stop this." wrote her first song at the age of 22 doing a double whammy on them" he's offering the boxed set in the $30 which included a link to CD Universe, Siman said the artists have worked and moved to Nashville in 1993. range," she said. The Future an Internet business specializing in for years to gain public awareness, 'The only performing I'd really done Few of the music archive sites are for my sister;' wrote Place To sales of recorded music. In return for only to find they can't use that recog- was singing backup Moorer "A Soft readily found through Internet search she says. "That was a natural, Fall" with Gwil Owen. 'There have the link, the businessman would then nition factor in establishing a logical engines such as Yahoo. Incorvaia said since we'd been singing together been other songs written with that collect a 5% commission on all sales domain for their website. "The con- access and passwords are usually pro- since we were babies." Moorer title, but I don't know that there's that went through the site. cept of buying that back is awful:' Si - vided in underground chat moms. The planned to develop her interests as been one with this spin, she says. "The other place they parked the man said. "They just refuse to do it." RIAA has been aggressive in filing a background vocalist until her hus- After Redford heard her voice, he names was a pornographic site, white McGraw's website has been up lawsuits against the sites. Last June, band singer/songwriter Butch expressed interest in having her house.com," Barza noted. When the and running for two years. "In terms - the RIAA was awarded stipulated Primm encouraged her to pur- perform the song during a barn country fans wound up at the site, they of country artists, he's been around - damages of more than $1 million sue a solo career. dance segment in the film. "I had no were greeted by an image of Hillary for a long time on the Internet," Si - against individual defendants in New idea that it was so intense" Moorer Clinton's face superimposed on nude man explained. However, he added Breakthrough York, California, and Texas. Howev- says of movie making. "We were artwork" Barza has already obtained that McGraw still hasn't seen any fi- er, Incorvaia said the RIAA s main in- Her sister's Nashville experience only supposed to shoot .for two a federal court injunction against the nancial gain from the website. "I tent is to ensure that the guilty parties gives Moorer a slightly different out- days and it turned into four days, a proposition businessman. The case goes to trial in think it's been losing I discontinue providing the downloads. look on the music business. She but got to know the song really July in California. for him for a long time," Siman said. I Many of the music archive sites are says, "I feel really lucky that was well:' she laughs. The lawsuit alleges that the busi- "As time goes by, it's going to be - Impressed by Redford's accom- operated by college students who are exposed to the business side of I plishments as a filmmaker, actor, under the impression that the illegal music through her. saw some happen and some not - and environmentalist, Moorer has downloads are only harming major cor- great things so -great things happen. I didn't vivid memories of her first meeting porations that own record labels. How- come into this totally green:' with him on the set in Montana. "I ever, songwriter Peter McCann point- Things began happening for was a little bit starstruck, and I'm ed out that piracy also directly impacts Moorer following a 1996 perfor- normally not that way" she says. artists, songwriters, and music publish- mance in which she paid tribute to "Luckily, I got to see him from a dis- ers. "Everybody on the food chain is her friend Walter Hyatt, a respect- tance before I met him. He was to- going to get hurt," he said. ed singer/songwriter who died in a tally nice" To educate college students, the plane crash. Other performers on Moorer wrote or co-wrote all but RIAA has initiated its "SoundByting" the bill included Lyle Lovett, David one of the songs included on her campaign. "It's a way to get students Ball, Champ Hood, Townes Van upcoming debut album. "I think 'A to understand the copyright environ- Zandt, Guy Clark, and Hal Ketch- Soft Place To Fall' is a really good ment;' Incorvaia said. The program al- um. Impressed by her performance, representation of it,' she says. "It's ready includes 10 pilot schools, in- booking agent Bobby Cudd later in- a little bit organic, which I love. Not cluding MIT, USC, Cornell, the Uni- troduced Moorer to MCA/Nashville a lot of heavy-handed production" versity of Texas, and Texas A&M. The Président Tony Brown, who signed As far as the rest of the year, RIAA also investigates piracy issues her to the label last June. Moorer Moorer says,''We'll put another sin- through anonymous tips submitted to said it was somewhat bittersweet to gle out this summer, get the album MOMENT Reprise/Nashville recently hosted a party cele- GOLDEN - the organization's e-mail address. In- get a record deal following a con- out. My goal is to get out there to brating the gold certification of Michael Peterson's self-titled debut album. is: If you're cert for her late friend. She says, "It sing for the people. I would be hap- Sharing the excitement (l-r) are Warner-Reprise/Nashville President Jim corvaia said, "Our motto was totally weird that way, but I py to do clubs. I love to play. ill sing Ed Norman, Warner -Reprise Sr. VP/A&R Paige Levy, Peterson, and Re- on the web and doing something think he'd be thrilled" to anybody who wants to hear me" prise Sr. VP/GM Bill Mayne. wrong, we'll find you." - Calvin Gilbert L J

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