The protest by a pubescent singer songwriter smacks of being a publicity stunt, which it is. But, Amy Thomas’ action staged on the front steps of the headquarters of the British music industry also demonstrates the different attitudes towards file sharing held by those yet to become teenagers.
According to the Inquirer, Amy was selected as one of ten musicians to be showcased on a new British Phonographic Industry (BPI) chart called My Music that is to be targeted this fall to 1,400 grade schools in the UK. Alas, Amy did not sign with a major label. Instead she signed with an independent called Flowerburger Records who openly oppose the BPI’s lawsuits against file sharers. Amy supports this sentiment too. “All my friends do it. It just seems like the natural thing to do.” Because of this stance the BPI yanked Amy from this chart, muzzling her visibility to the little schoolchildren they are marketing to.
So Amy – or probably her publicity machine – went on the offensive. Banned from the chart, they culled together 50 or so kids from networking site Bebo and organized the protest, which featured balloons carrying the title of Amy’s latest single “Just Smile”.
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Whatever her motivation the kids got more guts than a lot older artists who would like to do the same thing but don’t have the yarbles.
I suppose she has nothing to lose and everything to gain.