Comments on: Canada’s iPod levy: dÃ©jÃ vu

By: IP Specialist

IP Specialist — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:48:50 +0000

Rafael: It’s not just SOCAN music SOCAN collects for. SOCAN, as a member of the worldwide PRO (Performance Rights Organization) collective also claims on behalf of ASCAP, BMI, PRS and other SOCAN equivalents in other countries in Canada. The money collected is then distributed to the correct PRO who then pays its writer members. It isn’t blackmail, blackmail is extortion through threat of revealing a secret. You want to call it extortion but that is incorrect as well as no one is forcing you to use someone’s creative property. You are simply paying the people who created something to use it because you (you being a hair salon, not you personally) are enhancing the value of your product (haircut) by using music to make it a more enjoyable experience for clients.
Reader’s Write: As far as paying the various artists, radio data is used to determine how much money is given to whom as it is reasonable (though not even close to 100% accurate) that the music being played is the music being copied. And yes, this does fail miserably for indie artists. Which is why you should support your favourite indie bands by buying their cd because they won’t see a dime of blank media money.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:06:49 +0000

How do they know how much money to pay various artists? Do they know what song you’re burning on a CD?

If you’re paying royalties on blank media then you might as well copy everything. After all, you’re paying to do it. Since you’re paying for it, it’s not even stealing!

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:23:35 +0000

So, if i buy a cd to burn an iso image, or backup my data, i’m subsidising the music industry. Way to go canada!!
What happens if i backup some software, or ebooks ? do those companies get part of the levy also? After all, one without the others would be indicative of prejudice.

Again, the same principle applies to the iPod. It can store any type of file (being a usb storage device), including ebooks, videos, and yes, even software. The iPod firmware can be supplanted by *nix style operating systems, which means you store / run whatever you like on them. So the question is, why does only the music industry receive revenue from this?

By: Rafael Venegas

Rafael Venegas — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 10:43:04 +0000

IT’S BLACKMAIL

“SOCAN recently sent hundreds of demand letters to Canadian hair salons seeking compensation for background music”

So, if hair salons pay SOCAN to allow them to play SOCAN licensed music… can the salons really control what is played on the background so that only SOCAN licensed music is played? Of course not, if music is taken off the radio or if CDs (with only a few SOCAN licensed songs) are played.

Locally (this is american controlled territory) we have the same problem, will all sorts of venues. The performance right organizations demand payment but those that pay have no idea what music is paid for, as no music catalogs are received from the performance right organizations. Frankly, it’s BLACKMAIL.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 20:40:47 +0000

If this goes through, the CRIA better back the f*ck off.