SOCAN goes after hair dressers
p2pnet news | music:- SOCAN, “wanted to gouge health practicioners while their patients relaxed to the sound of music,” p2pnet posted in 2004. Then they turned to denists in what was a, “money grab,” as Dr Jack Cotrell of the Canadian Dental Association called it.
Now SOCAN, short for Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, is zeroing in on hair dressers with a ‘pay up or face legal action’ message. That’s their logo on the right, suitably styled.
“Hairdressers happen to utilize music quite frequently and so currently, we are targeting hairdressing salons to educate them on the fact that they do require a licence if they are using music,” Serge Boutros, “a SOCAN customer operations manager,” told the CBC.
How much is SOCAN demanding?
“The licensing fee varies according to the size of the salon, with a minimum cost of $94 per year,” says the story.
It’s common practice for surgeons to play music in operating theatres while they’re working.
How long before SOCAN goes after them as well?
================
UPDATE:
“It is worth reminding beleaguered and overtaxed business persons that s. 69(2) the Copyright Act has a bit of very good news for them on this issue,” blogs Howard Knopf, adding:
“If they just play music on a ‘radio receiving set’ – in other words a ‘radio’, there is no need to pay SOCAN. Just don’t play tapes or CDs, even if the radio includes these features.
“I don’t know if SOCAN is clearly and actively pointing this exception out to business owners. I doubt it. They really should be required to do so.”
(Thanks, Howard)
Also See:
gouge health practicioners – Just say Ahhhhhh, July 26, 2004
CBC – Hairdressers must pay to play music, SOCAN says, July 19, 2007
Howard Knopf – Hairdressers must pay to play music, SOCAN says, July 20, 2007
Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It’s really easy!
Subscribe to p2pnet.net | | rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php
Net access blocked by government restrictions? Use Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Go here for the download, and here for details. Click here or here to learn how to by-pass censorship in your area.
July 20th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Hair today. Gone tomorrow.
July 20th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
It won’t be long before people can create neural networks that can make “random” music with enough expression that it can fulfil these needs for free. Of course, it won’t be Bryan Ferry or Madonna, but hey, I don’t want my surgeon tapping her feet to the music, anyway.
July 21st, 2007 at 10:12 am
Or perhaps these venues will simply make a rational economic decision to stop playing Canadian music. How’s that for advancing Canadian culture?
July 22nd, 2007 at 11:51 am
THE PHANTOM PRO REPERTOIRE
“I don’t know if SOCAN is clearly and actively pointing this exception out to business owners. I doubt it. They really should be required to do so.”
I don’t know about Canada, but the american performance societies (PRO) do not allow their music to be performed over radio without a license. Of course whoever plays the radio in a public place has no control of what is played over the radio, so paying for a PRO license is absurd.
Put differently, for a dentist to pay for a license so he can put a radio in the office makes no sense, as there is no way the dentist can tell the radio station to play only the music that is licensed to the dentist by the PRO.
Even for live music, the PRO maskes no sense. For example, a live venue cannot really tell a band to play music licensed by the PRO, as the venue does not get a list (PRINTED REPERTOIRE) of the 60 million songs that supposedly may be performed under the license.
Then there is the problem of the repertoire. The band’s repertoire may not be in the PRO repertoire or the repertoire may not be checked to see which of the band’s songs are in the latest, licensed repertoire. This is because a copy of the latest PRO repertoire is not made available.
Then there is the problem of the audiende request made to musicians and bands. I can see it know. A piano player must anounce to the audience: “Sorry, but this is a PRO restaurant and you may not request your favorite song. We have no way to check the PRO repertoire to see if your favorite song is included. Sorry”.
COPYFRAUD
Then there is the problem of copyfraud. This is whn someone claims rights to public domain works or a work that belongs to someone else by registering the work with a PRO. Theoretically the PRO then commits copyfraud by licensding the work.
THE COMPLAINT
Here in Puerto Rico a group of musicians acused a PRO of copyfraud by licensing the much performed works of a famous local composer who died in 1895, whose music (300+ works) are in the public domain. This complaint was filed over 2 years ago at our Justice Department. The musicians are still waiting. Suspicion abounds. The press is not interested.
I wonder, has anyone ever asked a PRO to explain anything?
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:10 am
Where exactly do these idiots think that many of us hear a piece of music before we buy it, used to buy it in many cases, because they insist on acting like criminal gangsters. They are persistently harassing all these outlets where the buying public may come into contact with a piece of music first and will then go and buy it. Surely it’s the hairdresser’s, dentist’s (must get that piece of soothing music!), coffee shop, etc.etc. that should be charging the record companies for free advertising.
It amazed me to hear from a relative that a representative of this mob had walked into their coffee shop and announced that a sum of 120 pounds Stirling had be made immediately because BBC Radio Two was playing (mostly for the employees) in the background. If my relative had refused then the record industry would have lost yet another place (albeit small) to run their free advertising.
The entire industries outlook on life seems to have it’s neck firmly wrenched around 180 degrees and now they seem to spend most of their time contemplating NOT their navel. What a bunch of arseholes!
July 9th, 2008 at 9:28 am
You should be thankful SOCAN doesn’t have the power that SACEM the society in France has..
if you don’t pay they simply shut you down.. that’s how it should be here to.. maybe people would recognize the work that we put into creating our songs.. would you like to work for free ?? think about that next time..