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July 11, 2000
Utah's senior Senator was the unlikely referee today.
Senator Orrin Hatch was in a high stakes dispute between rock stars and internet entrepreneurs accused of stealing the bands' music.
Charles Sherrill reports from our Washington Bureau.
For Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee seemed as out of context as this comment by its chairman.
SEN. ORRIN HATCH/(R) UTAH: "I HAVE TO SAY THAT I WAS LISTENING TO METALLICA THIS MORNING IN MY OFFICE. I'M COMING DOWN TO CHECK."
But to Metallica and a long list of other big name artists who claim they're being ripped off by the song-swapping software known as Napster, today's hearing was a forum to vent.
LARS ULRICH/METALLICA DRUMMER: "NAPSTER HIJACKED OUR MUSIC WITHOUT ASKING. THEY NEVER SOUGHT OUT PERMISSION."
Napster does nothing but provide a pathway for people to share music obtained from other sources, say its defenders.
HANK BARRY/NAPSTER C.E.O.: "NAPSTER DOES NOT COPY FILES. IT DOES NOT PROVIDE THE TECHNOLOGY FOR COPYING FILES."
Hank Barry says digital distribution has been a boon to the music industry.
HANK BARRY/NAPSTER C.E.O.: "A CHORUS OF STUDIES SHOW THAT NAPSTER USERS BUY MORE RECORDS AS A RESULT OF USING NAPSTER. AND THAT SAMPLING MUSIC BEFORE BUYING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON THAT PEOPLE USE NAPSTER."
CHARLES SHERRILL/EYEWITNESS NEWS: "THEY'RE STEALING, NOT SAMPLING, SAY THE ARTISTS, WHO ARE ASKING BOTH CONGRESS AND THE COURTS TO INTERVENE. CHARLES SHERRILL, EYEWITNESS NEWS, WASHINGTON."
Senator Hatch said he's happy to have any exposure he can get for his own music. But he said groups with sales in the millions have legitimate cause for concern and the right to protect their artistic property.
