Chooks vocalist lets fly

From left, Chris Matthews, Michael Lawry, Fiona McDonald, Bevan Sweeney, Grant Fell and Anthony Nevison. Photo / Supplied

A Kiwi musician is fuming after his multinational record label ordered MySpace to pull down his songs from his band's social networking page.

Switching out of cruise control, Chris Matthews of the Headless Chickens vented his fury on his Facebook page.

He wrote: "Dear Warners Music Group: Thanks very much for complaining to the site about me infringing copyright on MY songs on the Headless Chickens MySpace page, you stupid f***ers. I hope you rot in the 7th level of corporate hell" ... followed by a string of further expletives.

As part of the stable of indie label Flying Nun, the Headless Chickens earned their place in the Kiwi music hall of fame in the 1990s with a unique electronic rock sound that produced hits like Cruise Control and George.

But, as they sang in that last hit, Matthews is feeling used and emotionally abused.

The Chooks, headed by Matthews and Fiona McDonald when they topped the charts, split in the late 90s but reunited for a few gigs over the past summer.

In 2005, Flying Nun's Aussie parent company Festival Mushroom Records was bought by Warner, bringing Flying Nun under its corporate umbrella.

"It's just insanely petty of them to lay a complaint with MySpace about me making some of my own band's songs available to download for free there," says Matthews, who emphasises he does not speak for other members of the band.

"I'm just publicly venting about corporate stupidity."

Anthony Healey, executive director of New Zealand operations for APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association), says Warner was within its rights to complain about the Headless Chickens' songs on MySpace.

A composer owns copyright for the songs he or she has written, but once it is recorded things get complicated.

"When a recording is made, separate copyright exists," says Healey. "Historically, recordings have been paid for and made by the record company, therefore the record company owns those recordings."

But Healey said Warner's actions were not typical. "I don't think it's common for record companies to ask artists on their websites to take stuff down. It's a matter of degree."

The fact that the band is no longer together further complicates things, says Healey.

"Usually, a record company enters a partnership with a band and they move down this road together. It's difficult when the band doesn't exist any more but still has some legacy."

Sarah Woolcott of Warner Music Australia says bands should technically get approval from the record label before putting their own songs on their MySpace pages, though it would be unusual for the record label to lay a complaint about its own artists' sites.

Warner Music in the UK has been working with MySpace to protect its copyrights. A source there says the site would probably have sent an automated message to Matthews advising him to credit the music, as part of an ongoing copyright protection process.