Remember when Taylor Swift pushed back against Apple’s new streaming service, and spoke up for the small artists that were struggling to break even thanks to big business?

Or, when Trent Reznor had took a pop at YouTube, SoundCloud and Spotify for taking advantage of artists just to boost their own audience?

It’s been a pretty hot button topic for quite some time now, and this new <a href="http://www.artistrights.info">website</a> kind of highlights that fact. A collaboration between the Center for Democracy and Technology and the National Coalition Against Censorship.

The National Coalition Against Censorship was formed after the 1973 decision by the Supreme Court in the Miller v. California case. It is now an alliance of over 50 non-profits which include religious, artistic, educational, literary and civil liberties groups. They focus on supporting the First Amendment and work to resolve any issues surrounding censorship, avoiding litigation.

The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) champions online human rights and civil liberties. They focus on internet, security, technology, privacy, and intellectual property.

Neither group started out with an interest in artist’s rights, but now appear to have taken the mantle upon themselves, acting as though they are some type of grassroots movement.

Traditionally we <a href="https://thetrichordist.com/2016/06/16/google-proxies-try-to-co-op-the-artists-rights-movement-with-lame-website/">think</a> of the artists whose pockets have already been well and truly lined when we think of things like this, do you need <em>more </em>money?! This website highlights the “little people” of the industry who work hard to earn their keep, while pushing against the tide of free content all over the net.

This isn’t <em>just</em> about the musical artists either, but also the photographers and painters, and all of the other types of artists out there.

Not every artist has the funds to take on a legal battle against others, or charges against them. So, while this website could be perceived as misrepresenting themselves, they are offering valuable help to “starving artists”.

The site provides a list of cases that you can read through (in laymen’s terms), and offers a lot of information that you can go through in order to figure out where you may stand on certain legal issues like copyright, fair use, and your first amendment rights. You don’t need to be a lawyer to understand any of the information that is provided to you on this site.

So, to be honest it doesn’t whether you find their actions admirable or you think that they’re jumping on the bandwagon, does it really matter?

Perhaps they don’t deserve the praise that grassroots movements do, and maybe it’s cost them a pretty penny to run the site, but… surely something that is helping the “little guy” is a great thing and regardless of the motivation it is providing a wonderful service for those who need advice.

Why do we need to pick a side?