Musicians Tegan & Sara, Open Mike Eagle, Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill and more have signed a letter organized by Fight for the Future demanding music labels drop their lawsuit against the Internet Archive, the online library and nonprofit best known for the Wayback Machine.
“We, the undersigned musicians, wholeheartedly oppose major record labels’ unjust lawsuit targeting the Internet Archive,” the Musicians for Fairness and Preservation Open Letter reads. “We don’t believe that the Internet Archive should be destroyed in our name.” Instead, the letter offers three alternative ways the lives of musicians could be materially improved: By partnering with organizations like the Internet Archive to preserve original recordings and music culture, allowing musicians to keep 100 percent of merchandise sales and ending vertical investments in streaming services like Spotify.
The advent of streaming services already made being a working musician highly unprofitable, but as the letter notes, things like the COVID-19 pandemic and Live Nation’s monopoly on ticket sales have made it nearly impossible to perform without some kind of extra expense.
The original lawsuit put forth by labels like Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group was specifically targeted at the Internet Archive’s Great 78 Project, which aims to preserve music recorded on 78 RPM records. The project has over 400,000 recordings available to stream, including music from well-known artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Frank Sinatra. If the labels win their lawsuit, the Internet Archive could be on the hook for up to $621 million dollars in damages to account for the music streamed through the Archive since 2006, Rolling Stone writes.
Music isn’t the only front where the Internet Archive is fighting. The organization recently lost its appeal in an ongoing lawsuit with publishers over digital book lending. The Internet Archive claims its digital book library can lend out eBooks under the fair use doctrine, but multiple judges have now disagreed.
PlayStation's Mark Cerny announced a new machine learning-focused partnership between AMD and Sony and explained the technical details of building the PS5 Pro.
The wireless TV can switch between transparent and standard modes with the push of a button.
Amazon workers are protesting low salaries, unsafe work condition and Amazon's refusal to recognize its union.
Starting today, if you add 1 (800) ChatGPT to your contacts, you can start using the chatbot over WhatsApp.
The news app Flipboard just launched something called Surf. This app allows users to browse the open social web, which includes services like Mastodon and Bluesky.
The court will arguments on January 10. The bill, signed by President Biden in April, requires ByteDance to sell the app or face a ban in the US.
The indie hit Pacific Drive is getting turned into a TV series. Director James Wan is on board with the adaptation.
Here are the best Christmas gifts you can get this year, as chosen by Engadget editors.
Shop our list of the best digital gifts to give to your loved ones, chosen by experts at Engadget.
Here are the best white elephant gift ideas, as chosen by Engadget editors.
You can get it for just $140 right now, which is still expensive, but better than $200.
Here are the best board gifts you can gift this year, including family games, tabletop games and everything in between.
These are the best last-minute Christmas gifts you can get this year, as chosen by Engadget editors.
TP-Link is being investigated by several US authorities as some of its routers have been linked to cyberattacks.
Amazon hit animated series Secret Level will get a second season, but details are scant for now.
After unveiling Exodus just over a year ago at The Game Awards, developer Archetype Entertainment has shown off the first gameplay for the sci-fi RPG.
YouTube is teaming up with the world's largest talent agency, CAA, to help its high-profile actors and athletes monitor their AI likenesses.
CarlinKit 5 does a solid job of turning a wired CarPlay vehicle into a truly wireless one.
LG has revealed the 2025 refresh for its QNED LCD TV lineup.
The biggest news stories this morning: Elon Musk is opening a preschool, Unofficial mod transforms the Playdate into a charming robot pet, Seagate teases its first HAMR-based hard drive.
Subscribe to our two newsletters:
– A weekly roundup of our favorite tech deals
– A daily dose of the news you need
Please enter a valid email address
Please select a newsletter
By subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy.
Français 
English