Creed Seeks Compromise in Great Napster Debate

MTV May 12, 2000

Creed is in the midst of a spring tour with Sevendust, an outing buoyed by the fact that the Tallahassee, Florida band currently has three singles on rotation at rock radio: "Higher," What If," and "With Arms Wide Open."

Because Creed depends so much on promoting multiple singles from its records, the band has been keeping a watchful eye on the ongoing Napster debate, aware that the group is a bigger target and has more to lose because of the amount of product they put out in the marketplace.

Creed frontman Scott Stapp recently weighed in on the Napster-MP3 issue, admitting that he'd like to see some sort of compromise between all parties, and that the band is already discussing strategies for its own digital distribution of music to fans.

"As an artist, and as I learn more about technology and computers, I definitely think there's a way we can all reach a happy medium and all move forward together," Stapp said. "I just wish organizations like Napster and those other groups would actually start coming to the artists and saying, 'Hey, let's work together,' 'cause this is the wave of the future.

"I can definitely understand Lars from Metallica, [who] has vented quite a bit about his music being art, and these people are stealing [the band's] art. And I've heard some responses that say, 'Hey, Metallica has been a commodity for years.'

"But that's irrelevant," he continued. "Who gives a sh** whether it's art or whether it's a commodity. It's still stealing when you're not paying for something, just like if it was a grocery store, just like if it was money laundered from bank accounts. But we're trying to stay protective about it.

"We're talking about giving away music on our Web site to our fans. Like maybe five or six unreleased tracks a year that you can solely get through our Web site. There's all kind of ways we can work together on it, but each side has their part, and I don't really know where I fit into that yet, 'cause I can kind of understand both sides." [RealVideo]

For more from Creed and other artists discussing this issue, be sure to look out for the upcoming MTV News special on the great Napster debate, expected to air in the next few weeks.

The Creed tour with Sevendust and Stir will roll into the Carolina Coliseum in Columbia, South Carolina on May 16 (see "Creed Show Continues Despite Power Outage").

.David Basham