TORONTO (CP) - The Barenaked Ladies, Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Billy Talent and Broken Social Scene are among musicians who have banded together to form a new politically minded coalition.
The Canadian Music Creators Coalition said it wants to have its own voice on any proposals for music-related laws such as copyright reform. 
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In a joint statement, the coalition said some musicians are tired of having multinational record labels speak on their behalf about "what Canadian artists need out of copyright."
"Record companies and music publishers are not our enemies, but let's be clear: lobbyists for major labels are looking out for their shareholders and seldom speak for Canadian artists," the coalition's statement said.
Groups like the Canadian Recording Industry Association, which represents labels such as Sony-BMG and Warner, have been lobbying the federal government for years to change laws in order to curb the amount of music downloaded for free online. Some of the proposed changes could lead to lawsuits against music fans who take songs for free from peer-to-peer networks or burn CDs from friends.
"The labels have been suing our fans against our will, and laws enabling these suits cannot be justified in our names," the group wrote. "We oppose any copyright reforms that would make it easier for record companies to do this."
The coalition also spoke out against digital locks on CDs and digital songs that prevent fans from easily transferring the music to a host of players such as iPods.
Other members of the coalition include Chantal Kreviazuk, Sum 41, Stars, Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida, the Rheostatics' Dave Bidini, Sloane and Blue Rodeo co-founder Bob Wiseman.
