I suppose it’s a sign of the times when a record label targets fans in the losing battle against piracy, but an even greater sign when the sheer resistance forces them to abandon the hunt. Such is the case with one of the biggest labels in metal, Nuclear Blast, who signs one of the biggest bands in metal, All Shall Perish.
According to Ultimate Guitar, the company hired the expertise of so-called ‘copyright troll’ World Digital Rights, who planned on pressing charges against 80 alleged file sharers who unlawfully downloaded All Shall Perish’s album This Is Where It All Ends. Somewhat of an ironic title I’d say.
What’s even more ironic though is that the band themselves were against the case. Manager Ryan Downey told TorrentFreak: “The band wasn’t consulted whatsoever and none of us have ever heard of this company.” Downey also exposed that when he and the band found out about the case, the label said they would instantly drop it. They didn’t.
During the interview, TorrentFreak informed the manager that the case was ongoing, which apparently ticked Downey off something bad, causing him to berate the label, who were forced to end their crusade. Another spanner thrown into the works was that World Digital Rights did not own the copyright to the album, with no registration at the United States Copyright Office.
This kind of shoots through the ever-constant message from the record labels that piracy is affecting the artists. But it would appear that some artists couldn’t care less; it’s the fat cat suits worrying about their own wallets.
