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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."
You and your fellow record labels are dying dinosaurs. Someday, people will dig up your bones and declare that you used to rule the world. And then it all came to a sudden, catastrophic end. All caused by a comet called the Internet.
Goodbye, so long, and thanks for all the fish.
M.
"That's a nice university you have there -- shame if anything were to happen to it..."
The Italians have a word for it -- Pizzo -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzo_(extortion)
Ian Ameline
Here's an idea.
Have a student vote, with a quorum of 40%. So, if less than 40% of the students vote, it doesn't count. Then have a student vote. I'd say simple majority, but if half the students don't want it, it may be infringing. Requiring a 3/5th majority. And perhaps limit it to no more than 3 years per vote.
If students really, really want to do it, fine.
By the way, how would this affect off-campus students? Since it's an Internet-based thing, those who live off-campus aren't necessarily under the thumb of the university, so they shouldn't be subject to it.
And, why stop at universities? (sarcastic comment to come) Why not just do it at the ISP level? It seems arbitrary to just subject students to the "tax". Perhaps we should subject everyone to this "tax".
Seriously...why don't they just sell music online for *reasonable* prices, and screwing around with licenses/DRM. Standard copyright issues would apply (i.e., if you want to make money off someone else's work, you need to cut a deal with the copyright owner), but otherwise, just make it really easy and cheap to buy music.
If they could just do that, I'd actually be buying music - right now I only bother with stuff I can download (legally) for free. Buying mainstream music online these days is generally expensive and/or involves too much hassle/DRM - and the music isn't convincing enough for me to go through all that. I guess I'm just too poor and lazy.
Time for the colonies to revolt
Should be able to draft an epic "get bent" letter in response to this proposal.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
What happens when you graduate and later get busted p2p'ing and then they find your stash from the college days?
the cops get to divide up the loot. same as in a drug bust, only less smoking is involved.
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
Is this what you meant to say?
IN SOVIET RUSSIA, YOUR REPRESENTATION TAXES YOU... Wait, no, that's here also... And since when did the music industry become our representation?
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