Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Against the Music Tax

Here's an article about the music industry's latest attempt to stifle progress, hogtie musicians and consumers, and generally shaft everyone to their own profit. There's a reason why the recording industry isn't doing well: they've spent the last several decades annoying everyone. This is just going to dig that hole even deeper, as more people decide to find something else to do with their money than buy overpriced music from companies they resent.

Techdirt's Mike Masnick On Why a Music Tax Is a Mistake
Techdirt founder Mike Masnick has followed the twists and turns of the digital music debate for more than a decade, offering some of the most prescient and lucid information and arguments on the topic anywhere. Today he tackles growing calls for a voluntary music licensing scheme, pushed most recently by Warner Music Group to universities, that would basically allow file sharing by having ISPs impose a surcharge on all users to be paid out to copyright holders.


Now contrast this with cyberfunded creativity (see also crowdfunding in which musicians and audiences can connect directly, cutting out the middlemen. This saves money and increases the interaction that people enjoy. It creates more opportunity for diverse music to become popular. And the trend here is for musicians to share their material widely, because that broadens their audience. People like music that isn't a pain in the tail to play or a budget-breaker to buy. This inclines them to support those musicians by buying albums, swag, concert tickets, etc. and by recommending the music to their friends.
Tags: activism, music
Subscribe

  • Photographs

    I took some pictures of my yard today. Read about what makes a good wildlife yard and Fieldhaven as habitat. The larger brush pile is still…

  • Birdfeeding

    Today is partly sunny and delightfully mild. I fed the birds. I've seen a small flock of house finches and a few sparrows. I walked around the yard…

  • Fieldhaven as Habitat

    If you follow my posts on gardening, birdfeeding, and photos, then you know that I garden for wildlife. Looking at the YardMap parameters, here…

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    switch
    default userpic

    Your IP address will be recorded 

    When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed.
    You must follow the Privacy Policy and Google Terms of use.
    Help
  • 5 comments
thetathx1138

thetathx1138

December 12 2008, 15:27:45 UTC 12 years ago

The problem is, instead of just the companies ripping off the artists, now it's the companies AND the consumer ripping off the artists.

But this will never pass. It would fail even the most basic court challenge (you could easily argue it is a de facto tax on the entire populace of a state, which has different rules).
ysabetwordsmith

Hmm...

ysabetwordsmith

December 12 2008, 22:05:54 UTC 12 years ago

I hope it won't pass, but plenty of other things have passed that were obviously unconstitutional. It's more about power and money than about what's right or legal.
fayanora

fayanora

December 13 2008, 00:58:52 UTC 12 years ago

One important rule to remember: when you find yourself in a hole, QUIT DIGGING. :-)
ysabetwordsmith

Thoughts

ysabetwordsmith

December 13 2008, 02:03:34 UTC 12 years ago

It is amazing how few people grasp this concept. *ponder* In fact, they tend to object when other people attempt to apply it.
fayanora

Re: Thoughts

fayanora

December 14 2008, 01:36:32 UTC 12 years ago

Oh?