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$5 Per Month Fee Proposed For Legal Music P2P

Posted by Soulskill on from the it's-nice-to-have-somebody-do-my-budget-for-me dept.

sneakyimp writes "Both Wired and Ars Technica have reports on Jim Griffin's proposal that ISPs charge each broadband customer $5 per month to subsidize the ailing music industry. The resulting fund would ostensibly 'compensate songwriters, performers, publishers and music labels.' Although no specific version of the proposal has been referenced, a number of controversies are inherent to the plan: How is the money really divided? What happens when the MPAA, the Business Software Alliance, and various other industry groups want their own surcharge added? What about the supposed majority of broadband customers who never download illegal music? Griffin discussed the plan further at SXSW . We've previously discussed a similar proposal from the Songwriters Association of Canada.

5 of 528 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I wonder what.... by Dice · · Score: 3, Funny

    We would need much larger tubes.

  2. Some other fees they might consider... by techmuse · · Score: 3, Funny

    The sports rebroadcasting fee, to compensate sports networks for their broadcasts that you retransmit

    The politicians opponents fee, to compensate them for money that you don't give to their campaigns

    The tapped powergrid fee, because you might tap into the power grid at some point

    The Emperor's club fee, because you might use the services of an illegal prostitution ring and not get caught (and not be the governor of a large state).

    What? You don't do any of these things? Then why should you pay for it? Instead, you should pay a fee to ME, for no particular reason, other than I think you should give me your money whether I've given you anything in return or not! :-)

  3. Re:Apple won't like it... by jcgf · · Score: 4, Funny

    Illegal downloaders need to stop freeloading off the rest of us and pay for the things they want.

    I'm gonna head on over to the pirate bay and download shit right now, just to piss you off.

  4. Re:I wonder what.... by gooman · · Score: 4, Funny

    With nanomachines on the horizon, it won't be more than 50 years till you will have access to a formulator capable of replicating a car

    Make mine a flying car.

    --
    "Kittens give Morbo gas!"
  5. Re:Stupid. by maxume · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't think Britney's celebrity status has a whole lot to do with how much she gets screwed.

    --
    Nerd rage is the funniest rage.