The Hill News

The music industry has a long history of telling artists to “shut up and sing.” Which is why the internet has been so important in amplifying the voices of musicians of every conceivable background. It’s also why artists should be wary when powerful entertainment conglomerates push for polices that could undermine free expression, all the while claiming to speak for creators.

Congress is currently considering a pair of well-intentioned but deeply flawed pieces of legislation that threaten to fundamentally change how the internet works. Hollywood and the labels back these bills, which are rightfully being questioned by the broader arts community, from artists and managers to writers and performers.

The bills in question â€" PROTECT-IP (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy ACT (SOPA) in the House â€" have the stated goals of making it more difficult for Americans to access websites that traffic in unauthorized U.S. intellectual property! . There’s no doubt that foreign-based sites selling MP3s and movies without permission need to be dealt with. The question is how. These bills are the digital equivalent of hazardous tuna nets, except in this case it’s speech, and not dolphins, that risk being ensnared.

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