canadians read.

[enry]

Link:

http://www.futureshop.ca/marketing/medialevy/en/default.asp?logon=&langid=EN&dept=0&WLBS=fs-web3

In a nutshell, copyright holders are complaining that certain types of removable media is used to infringe copyright laws. They propose increased levies on (%increase in brackets):
- Audiocasettes (106%)
- CD-R/RW (181%)
- CD-R/RW-Audio or Minidicsts (60%)
New levies:
- Recordable DVD (2.27$ per dvd)
- Any kind of storage incorporated in a mp3 player or similar device (2.1 cents per meg)
- Removable memory cards (0.8cents per meb)

Now let's look at what this could entail

CD media is getting obsolete due to limited storage space. DVD media will be the way to go. I work in a company where we typically burn hundreds of CDs / DVDs of legitimate data weekly. A two dollar levy is unreasonable.

A 2.1 cent per meg levy on mp3 player's built in ram means the following: An Apple I-Pod, 20GB Version sells for 799 Canadian Dollars. 20 gigabytes = 20,000 megabytes * 2.1 cents = 420 Dollar tax. Total price after tax = 1219 CAD. Man, I thought 799$ was expensive, 1219$ is out of this world, nobody is gonna buy it. :wtf:

So, from that web link above, .....

You can do something about it. Recordable media costs you enough as it is. Tell the government you do not want to pay these levies.

Honourable Sheila Copps, Minister of Heritage Canada may be reached by e-mail at:
Copps.S@parl.gc.ca

Honourable Allan Rock, Minister of Industry, may be reached by e-mail at:
Minister.industry@ic.gc.ca

Honourable John Manley, Minister of Finance / Deputy Prime Minister, may be reached by e-mail at:
jmanley@fin.gc.ca

Right Honourable Jean Chrtien, Prime Minister of Canada, may be reached by e-mail at:
pm@pm.gc.ca

 

[Kooldino]

Holy crap! Can they DO that?

 

[20ESGUY]

you know something thats pretty crappy...if companys wouldn't over-charge for cd's and dvd's like they do then they wouldn't have that problem. Although god forbid if it cuts into their 200k a year salaries. My line of thinking was that prices on things would usually come down some after a time...not so with that junk. I remember a few years ago buying cd's for 9-10 bucks...now they're 20-30 bucks...doesn't make much sense. 20 bucks for a flippin cd is complete idiocracy.

 

[enry]

you know something thats pretty crappy...if companys wouldn't over-charge for cd's and dvd's like they do then they wouldn't have that problem. Although god forbid if it cuts into their 200k a year salaries. My line of thinking was that prices on things would usually come down some after a time...not so with that junk. I remember a few years ago buying cd's for 9-10 bucks...now they're 20-30 bucks...doesn't make much sense. 20 bucks for a flippin cd is complete idiocracy.

The stupidity is that the music itself is no longer the bulk of the work of music labels.. promotion is. They spend more resources promoting a few select artists (cash cow) than they actually do in the production of the music.

Debunk time.

Myth: "Buy the CD, support the artist"
The cost of actually printing a CD, packaging, etc... has gone down to almost nothing. Despite that, only a fraction of the CD sale price goes to the artist, and only EXTREMELY notorious artists can demand a higher, more reasonable share. If you really want to support the artist, go to a concert, I believe they get paid better there...

Myth: "Music piracy will kill the music industry"
In my field of music alot of people willingly provide their singles or sets free for download. Is the electronica music market about to die miserably as a result? I think not. Despite CD's and mp3's music sales have not gone down.

Myth: "But Enry, producing a high quality album costs alot of money".
:bs: I know some no-names, unsponsored artists and groups that produce CDs with quality that rivals that of pop stars. Only difference? You don't get a 24 page glossy insert with pictures and stickers and other worthless paraphnelia.

Myth: "Taxes on recordable media and royalty payments on played music go to help support the artists".
:bs: , :bs: , and :bs: !!!!! Read: 'unequal redistribution of income'
These taxes ONLY go to the artists...
a. That are covered by ASCAP. If you're not, too bad!
b. In proportion to an national averages. If all you play is da funk, too bad, you are paying for nsync anyways, beotch.
If you choose to play music that is not covered by ASCAP, sure, no problem. But if you EVER happen to play a tune that is remotely linked to a one that is covered by the ASCAP, you are screwed.

For more info...
http://www.woodpecker.com/writing/essays/royalty-politics.html

 

[WhiteZoomZoom]

thats sucks. Thats why I always buy bulk packages of CD over sea

 

[sleeper_]

not to mention, that part of the levy itself has to pay for its own implementation (ie. bureacracy)

;aksjdf;lakjsd;flkjasd;flkjas;dkfja;sdlkjfpqo293u4-912q3ij4;rlkajsd;fk
pisses me off

on a side note, why doesn't any of the levy go to software companies? or to hollywood studios? hahahahahah

ALSO, the cd-r's that you use in stand alone audio cd burners (home audio equipment that is) accept just "audio cd-r's" to be burnt onto which are already QUITE expensive. I can see them charge levies on those if anything, but then again, they're already unreasonably priced. ;aksdjf;alksjdf;lakjsdfp08230498UQ3'O4KRJLSA;KDJFP[0A9UW[O45K2QJ34'5LKQA

 

[enry]

not to mention, that part of the levy itself has to pay for its own implementation (ie. bureacracy)

that is the heart of hte issue. music labels care more about preserving their wealth and their ways rather than truely promoting music. they will do anything to remain in their position of relative power. however, their kind of thinking may become obsolete in the new economy, and they are not diversifying their methods of distribution.