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German Kindergartens Ordered To Pay Copyright For Songs
BBird writes "Deutsche Welle reports: 'Up until this year, preschools could teach and produce any kind of song they wanted. But now they have to pay for a license if they want children to sing certain songs. A tightening of copyright rules means kindergartens now have to pay fees to Germany's music licensing agency, GEMA, to use songs that they reproduce and perform. The organization has begun notifying creches and other daycare facilities that if they reproduce music to be sung or performed, they must pay for a license.'"
The schools should go along with it. Make the parents send money with their kid every time they're going to sing in class. Charge admission to recitals to make it clear that you have to pay for licensing to hear your kid sing. In fact, make the kids hand the money over themselves, and tell them that every time they want to sing something they have to give money away. Maybe if it gets ridiculous enough people will notice.
Yes, how about you all fuck off and die, the world would be a better place.
No, really, it would, how the fuck do these people sleep at night?
Do realize that this is not the recording company or one of their groups. This is the equivalent of the US ASCAP; it is a song writers / composers association and collects performance fees from people performing those copyrighted words / compositions. Should they curtail their greediness? Absolutely. Should they be going after schools? Hell no. In the US, should restaurant staff be able to sing "Happy Birthday" without some jack ass coming out of the woodwork asking for money? Damn right. But, it isn't correct to conflate groups like ASCAP and GEMA with the RIAA.
Since last year, SABAM (Belgium's RIAA) charges day cares and schools for the music they play in class:
see here
Youth organizations, neighborhood parties and small businesses that play radio during work already had to pay for this (or risk being raided by the copyright cops).
It is not so much that I have confidence in scientists being right, but that I have so much in nonscientists being wrong
Riiiight. And every house my dad has ever built should have to pay money to me for utilizing his artistic expression. hey that is a GREAT idea! Where is my money bitch?
Or maybe, just maybe, they should have to get off their asses and work instead of getting checks for 150+ years because some song made the top 200 sometime somewhere.
The problem as it is now is that music "business" is nothing but a parasite on the ass of society. Think the "artists" are getting more than a pittance? Nope, it is the leeches, all these record companies that have bought the airwaves and hold them hostage, that are the REAL money makers.
Look up "Hollywood Accounting" and know that it is about 100 TIMES worse for musicians. I should know because I am just a skip away from Memphis and have actually held these contracts in my hands. The only way an artist makes shit is to either make it on the road or SURVIVE their first contract and hope to get a better deal on the second. Hell even with Metallica sucking the record execs they only get about $0.89 cents on a $22 CD. Anyone who thinks the money in music is being made by the artists needs their heads examined. It is nothing but leeches as far as the eye can see, and that is ALL this bunch is, leeches.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.