Anti-piracy Efforts Increase

The anti-piracy campaign No Mates la Música (Don't Kill the Music)—led by the Asociación de Productores Fonográficos (Record Producers' Assn.), the Sociedad Chilena del Derecho de Autor (The Chilean Society of Author's Rights), and the Asociación de Compositores e Intérpretes (The Assn. of Composers and Interpreters)—has entered a new phase, this time focused on political and educational issues.

TV, radio, and print ads have been produced to raise awareness about the menaces of illegal duplication and distribution of albums. The TV ad depicts rock-pop band Javiera y Los Imposibles performing their hit "No" (a cover of a ballad originally sung by Italian artist Gianni Bella) while instruments and audio equipment are stolen from them. Vocalist Javiera Parra ends up singing a cappella until her microphone is also stolen. The message is that there will not be any artists to hear and see if piracy keeps escalating.

The organizations involved are also lobbying the Chilean government to introduce changes in the laws regarding intellectual property. Specifically, record companies, authors, and performers seek to intensify the punishment for those who illegally copy, distribute, and commercialize music.

Record Producers' Assn. GM Máximo Moreno says, "Today, if somebody is arrested in the morning for selling pirated records, chances are that this person will be back in the street selling his or her supply by the afternoon."

On the educational front, industry insiders and artists will visit schools to explain to young consumers the impact of piracy. "Parents don't talk to their children about piracy," Moreno says. "And their sons and daughters often receive pirated music."

Last year, music sales in Chile fell 20% from 2000's figures to 5.3 million units. Piracy is regarded as partly responsible for that fall. The new campaign's goal is to lift year-end numbers by 10%.

Though it's difficult to estimate, Moreno believes that 40% of all music sold in Chile is pirated. The duplication potential of piracy networks, a figure deduced after arrests and equipment confiscation, amounts to 18.9 million copies.