Warner Music Pushing Music Tax For Universities

An anonymous reader writes "Warner Music is pitching the idea of a 'music tax' for various top universities. The idea is that students would be free to file share, but the university needs to monitor and track everything, create a pool of money, hand it over to a recording industry entity that promises to distribute the proceeds fairly. In exchange, the university gets a 'covenant not to sue' from the music labels. It's not a full license, just a basic promise that they won't sue. It's also claimed that this is 'voluntary' but the Warner Music guy says that they need to include all universities and all ISPs to really make it work. It's basically a music tax, where the recording industry gets to sit back and collect money."

Comments

M$music

[ITEric]

I'm reminded of the Windows strategy...

Convince the manufacturer to pay for and install Windows - the manufacturer charges customers for Windows who would otherwise never use it - customers figure "I paid for it, why not use it?"

Convince the college to pay for unlimited access to the music - the college collects money from students who would otherwise never download the music - students figure "I paid for it, why not download it!"

Does M$ not have a patent on this business model?:P

Re:Indie

[earlymon]

Wow. I don't know how you got that. Talking about the idea of taxation of something and the pros and cons is quite different to advocating it.

Nice complete contradiction of yourself. From your own fossil record:

The most I said is that I'm "generally in support" of this if it means we get to use our internet connections for media.

So while I'm generally in support for an artistic tax ...

Talking about an idea AND repeating why you SUPPORT it is an ADVOCACY of the idea.

You're certainly arguing against a strawman; you're quite angry...

Oh, pulleeze, don't flatter yourself. Pointing out the occasional idiocy of an AC doesn't raise my blood pressure one iota.

... and there's no point talking to you any more.

Advocating taxation in favor of the RIAA and MPAA and contradicting yourself in two posts does not constitute having a point in talking to me in the first place.