Fly-Posting Record Labels Accused of ‘Double Standards’

link: http://www.news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2052173

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By Amanda Brown, Environment Correspondent, PA News.


Major record labels were today criticised for prosecuting people who download music from the Internet, while at the same time breaking the law themselves by plastering posters on statues, walls and buildings.

The claim by leading environmental pressure group, Keep Britain Tidy, follows a survey of some of England’s cities.

The group revealed that while night-clubs, political parties, theatres, cinemas and religious groups were advertising their messages illegally, the music business is still doing the most posting.

And they argued that far from adding edge and colour to urban life, these flyposters were in fact causing yet more misery to those living in deprived areas.

Alan Woods, Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy said: “When they pay to have these posters put up, do the bosses of record companies ever consider that residents in Aston in Birmingham or St Paul’s in Bristol are going to have to pick up the tab for cleaning them up?

and he said fly-posting was a major part of the marketing strategy. As the article says, the people used to do it are 'shady' - they have turfs, and get into disputes with each other about who has the 'right' to use which territory. At worst, this can get violent, getting close to organised crime. It is a bit hypocritical of the record companies to be wanting the letter of the law to be enforced.