The live sector has so far been quite quiet on the whole P2P file-sharing debate, and whether the government should be considering a three-strikes style system to combat online piracy.
That's not really surprising - the protection of recording rights not being of direct import to tour promoters - though a number of key promoters have nevertheless come out in favour of the government's proposed 'graduated response' system that could lead to persistent file-sharers having their net access suspended. I suppose they are clever enough to realise they rely on record companies to help launch artists into the big time, and that once launched those artists become big ticket sellers for the live industry. Promoters might not always think record companies go about things in the right way, but they've no interest in the record industry collapsing completely.
Anyway, in a letter to Music Week a group of promoters - including top men at AEG Live, Live Nation, Metropolis Music, MCD, Marshall Arts, Festival Republic, SJM and Kilamanjaro - said they supported the government's current proposals, adding: "We all realise investment in and development of new artists is necessary to help create the live superstars for the decades to come. To secure this investment it is essential money be made from selling recorded music physically or digitally and we feel it is only right that the investors in this development and the artists themselves are fairly recompensed for their work".
SJM Concerts MD Simon Moran added: "This is not a crusade for record companies, the live industry wouldn't be great if we gave tickets away for free", while Kilimanjaro CEO Stuart Galbraith said: "We want to make the government aware that the live industry considers file-sharing as important as recorded music ".
All that said, the live guys didn't want to get too involved in deciding which of the measures being discussed to combat file-sharing should be employed, nor whether they actually backed the suspension of the net connections of persistent file-sharers. Galbraith told Music Week: "That is not an area of expertise and something for the MMF and BPI to lobby on ... what measures we are not saying, that needs to be thrashed out".