Monday, January 16, 2006

Pay it again Sam

Everytime I hear another story about digital protection I lose my pants.

(That's because my stomach muscles tighten when I get angry and my extreme low-riders fall off my non-existent ass.)

Besides Sony and their digital copy paranoia trips, the latest news comes from the U.K. where DJs are now required to purchase an additional license from the music rights agency Phonographic Performance Limited when playing digital copies of CDs, vinyl records, or online downloads.

PPL claims that current licenses do not include digital music, and as a result an extra charge is necessary. Bullcrud. This is just another example of the record industry trying to make twice the profit on a single sale of music. There is no legitimate argument for requiring an additional license in this case except for industry greed.

DJ groups are outraged. They argue that they're playing the same music in the same venues to the same audiences, except in a digital format. With digital, DJs don't have to lug around 100s to 1000s of CDs. But, they can forget about lugging around their entire digital collection if it's extensive. The license restricts DJs to 20,000 tracks per public performance.

Many DJ groups and the National Association of Disc Jockeys have gathered to create a committee to lobby this issue. Hopefully, in the end, they'll get to use digital free-of-charge and we'll get to see the music industry's Robber Barons smolder in the flames of public resistance. Personally, I'd like to rip an electronically charged MP3 up one of their ySpots.

2 Comments:

At 8:46 PM, Blogger Spencer said...

I tell you I hate the media moguls. No more than an hour ago I was talking to my girlfriend about how the networks want to bar Tivo from allowing people to transfer their videos from the Tivo to iPod. Why is this different from being able to take a vcr tape with you? They of course want to charge the $1.99 that you have to pay on iTunes or $3 or $4 on Comcast.

There will come a day when it will cost to record a show.

Greedy bastards.

 
At 10:27 PM, Blogger tanagrame said...

I hear ya brother. I'm wondering what it's going to take to bring an end to this gouging of the consumer. I'm working up a terrorism strategy as we speak. Don't tell George W, tho. But, then again, he might already know....

 

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