DIGITAL ICE T August 08 2000 dotmusic.com Rapper shouts about Napster, calls record labels "gangstas" Speaking at business and technology magazine Red Herring's "Herring on Hollywood 2000" conference, Body Count rapper Ice T has predicted a "cyberwar" in the music business, saying "Technology is coming in a mean way." Already signed to an Internet record label, AtomicPop.com, Ice is cynical of the established record companies, claiming "what the majors do is they go into gangsta techniques." He is now starting an online venture which will help new artists (or "small cats") make money from downloadable music or e-commerce CD sales. The company, named CoronerRecords.com, is so called because Ice reckons the traditional music industry is a dying breed: "The Internet is where the action is... I'm trying to create a business model where you can sell 3,000 records and get a cheque." On the inevitable subject of Napster, the rapper (real name Tracy Morrow) is philosophical. ''Records are free when on the radio, right?.. You can't stop technology... I mean, I had a digital watch once that cost fifty dollars, now they're giving them away with chicken dinners." Referring to Metallica's case against Napster, Ice mouthed off that suing is for lawyers, not musicians, saying "Some lawyer wakes me up and says, 'Man, we can get a couple of million dollars.' And I'm like, 'Sue whoever you gotta sue. Who is Napster?" But calling himself a "conspiracy theorist type of guy", Ice T promised that "Napster will resurface in one of these major record companies... once they figure out how to take the technology and get paid off of it." Ice T, whose most famous cut is called "Cop Killer", is now playing a cop in TV show "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit." This week he releases a 16-track compilation, "Greatest Hits: The Evidence". comment on this article e-mail this to a friend start a discussion [about i-drive] writing index thoughts dotmusic index Problems? Questions? Suggestions? Contact me: mail@tobyslater.com back to top back to home page

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