Sheryl Crow wants to sing, not fight

May 7, 2002 12:00 PM

           
 

DETROIT (Reuters) - With a new album out and a tour looming, Sheryl Crow says all she wants to do is have some fun -- which means backing off her role as a leading activist in the Recording Artists Coalition.

Crow, whose new album, "C'mon, C'mon," debuted at No. 2 on the pop charts, co-founded the RAC with Don Henley and others to lobby Congress and state lawmakers for better treatment of musicians by major record labels.

She performed at fund-raising concerts the RAC held in February, on the eve of the Grammys in Los Angeles, and has been at the forefront of challenging what the RAC brands as unfair and coercive business practices used by major labels to deny artists fair compensation and control their careers.

But in a recent interview, the 40-year-old singer, songwriter and musician said she is less involved in industry politics at the moment.

"I'm really concentrating on my music right now," says Crow, who kicks off the "Today" show's outdoor concert season on Friday in New York City and headlines a summer tour starting July 10 in Charlotte, N.C. "I can't carry the (RAC) mantle forever."

Crow, who has sold more than 17 million albums and won eight Grammys, said she believes the debate over industry practices has placed too much emphasis on contract issues, at the expense of other important matters, such as piracy.

"I feel like issues that are of concern are CD-burning and the attitude toward music as intellectual property that should be paid for," she said. "Unfortunately we detoured and started focusing on contract issues, which pitted us against the music industry. And unfortunately, any time there was anything negative in the press, it was always my picture in the paper."

Reuters/Variety