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 fired a shot at YouTube, SoundCloud and Spotify for taking advantage of artists just to boost their own audience?

The Artist vs The Business has been a hot-button topic for quite some time now. This new <a href="http://www.artistrights.info">website</a> highlights this issue; it's 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's now an alliance of over 50 non-profits which include religious, artistic, educational, literary and civil liberties groups. The organization focuses on supporting the First Amendment, and works to resolve issues regarding censorship, in an attempt to avoid litigation.

The Center for Democracy and Technology 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 they now appear to have taken the mantle upon themselves, acting as though they are a 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-lined when the subject of litigation comes up; do these artists need <em>more </em>money? But 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 photographers, painters, writers––indeed <em>all</em> artists out there who create works of art for a living.

Not every artist has the funds to take on a legal battle against others, or combat charges against them. So while this website could be perceived as possibly 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 valuable information that can assist you in figuring out where you may stand on legal issues such as copyright, Fair Use, and First Amendment rights. You don’t need to be a lawyer to understand any of the information that is provided on this site.

Perhaps this organization doesn't deserve the praise that grassroots movements usually engender. And maybe it’s costs them a pretty penny to run the site. But surely something that seeks to help is "the little guy” is a good thing,  providing a valuable service for those who are seeking advice.

Do we really need to pick a side?