If you pirate music, you're downloading communism!

[Arjan Hulsebos]

On Wed, 25 Mar 2009 04:39:37 -0700, Steve Swann wrote
> Hey Al, have you heard of the approach that the UK is taking (or
> maybe has taken?) to make music downloading llegal, and pay for
> though some kind of network tax or surcharge, which is then to be
> divided among the music industry?  Sort of like what they did in the
> US with cassette tapes?

They did that in the Netherlands, too, and they're still doing that with
CD-Rs, and undoubtably DVD-Rs.

> Aside from the technical issues, it occurs to me that only the
> industry heavyweights will get their payday.   I suspect that small
> indie labels will get left out in the cold...

At least the indies try to innovate, the only innovations that have come from
the big labels have been on the judicial side...

Just to mention a real quirk: if I were to download an out-of-sale album, and
I want to pay the royalties, the responsible agencies would refuse to accept
my pay. Why? They'd be promoting piracy if they would, they say....

Gr,

Arjan H

--------------------------------
Rock in the 70ies:
  substance inhalation, hotel devastation, and amplifier obliteration