Over 600 musicians and artists have signed an open letter demanding Universal Music Group (UMG) and other major labels drop their $621 million lawsuit against the Internet Archive, a nonprofit digital library.

Notable signatories include Tegan & Sara, Open Mike Eagle, Amanda Palmer, and Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna. The letter, organized by Fight for the Future, outlines three main proposals to support working musicians:

1. Partner with organizations like the Internet Archive to preserve original recordings and music culture
2. Allow musicians to keep 100% of merchandise sales
3. End vertical investments in streaming services like Spotify

The lawsuit specifically targets the Internet Archive's Great 78 Project, which preserves over 400,000 recordings from 78 RPM records, including works by Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra.

The artists argue that while the music industry is projected to exceed $100 billion in revenues by 2031, musicians struggle with:

• Live Nation's monopolistic touring practices
• Unfair streaming revenue models
• Demonetization and censorship by DSPs
• Threat to cultural preservation

The Internet Archive faces potential damages of $621 million for music streamed since 2006 if the labels win their lawsuit. This legal challenge follows the Archive's recent loss in a separate lawsuit with book publishers over ebook lending practices.

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