This article at TechCrunch is talking about Peter Jenner, a music exec that has worked with the likes of Pink Floyd, wants to tax items such as Cell Phones, Blank CDs, etc to pay the music labels for lost sales as CD sales start to decline.
(To be fair, I am responding to an Opinion piece)
I say take that tax scheme and SHOVE it, Peter. I rarely purchase listen to music anymore, for several reasons, and most if not all of my blank media is for my self generated content (ie Podcasts, Videos I make). Why should I pay them for that? Nor do I watch TV shows on my Cell…The arrogance that they should be getting money from me because they think they are due it is a load of Crap. The arrogance comes in where they think that what they produce is SO good that everyone owes them for it is garbage, and this is their first flaw in their thinking that they are due something. Example…(Not that I am buying a Zune) But why should Universal get $1 of every one sold? (Beside it just being a bad business decision).
Our Government has NO business being in the music business. None what so ever. This is NOT the role for our system…If the Music companies are in a hole it is only because they dug it, and they need to climb out of it on their own. Our Government shouldn’t bail them out because they made bad business decisions like suing their customers and making DRM’d music that is a pain to deal with and limiting. In addition I say that if our Government stepped in 2 things would happen. 1. you take away their incentive to be innovative, and 2, they (Music Industry) will be reliant upon that money and it will never be enough so they say.
If they want help, Innovate, change your business models, work with your consumers not against, and stop making Garbage crap you want to sell us….
To be honest…I think they waited to late, they world has moved on with out you, and we really don’t need you anymore. Show me why you are relevant and not just a pain in our….
Techcrunch » Blog Archive » Replacing DRM With A Music Tax Is Incredibly Stupid
Jenner wants the government to step in and save big labels. He’s calling for a mandatory monthly tax in the European Union on broadband Internet and mobile phones of around €4/month that allows consumers to download and consume all the music they want without DRM. Payments will be made to rights holders according to popularity of music – if a song is very popular, it will get a higher percentage of total fees collected.
