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Canadian Parliament listens to Billy Bragg's comments on several music issues

Contributed by EXPIRE. Posted by aubin on Monday, November 23, 2009 at 12:00 PM (EST)

According to a report from the Globe & Mail, legendary musician Billy Bragg recently appeared before the Canadian Parliament to talk about the file sharing problem.

The singer and the Canadian New Democratic Party is calling on the government to let artists find a way to make music file swapping a legitimate part of promotion and sales. He is hoping to see new ways to compensate performers while protecting downloaders. One of the options proposed was to impose a levy on MP3 players similarly to how the Canadian government taxes blank CD purchases.

Though that levy is ostensibly to compensate for downloading, the tax is imposed on everyone, even those who do not download music illegally.

Politics (18 comments)

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way. Seriously.

Blackjaw_ (November 23, 2009)

I don't like that option.

I just think bands need to not send their albums out to get reviewed until they're released, thus avoiding a leak until the week where stores get it in. They have to have cool bonuses for pre-ordernig it, so that people pay for it before it even leaks and they hear it and decide they don't want to buy it. It's easier for the bands to solve this than for the government to do it.

3+ Replies

kidgotham (November 23, 2009)

What happens to things once they are released then? Your suggestion would plug leaks, but it still won't stop me from stealing it once it actually hits storres. I really don't think there is a correct answer in this debate.

If 100% of the proposed levy would go back to artist, and not the record companies, I would have no issue paying an extra $5 on a $200 ipod.

I just don't think it would go back to the artists.

crackpotdemagogue (November 23, 2009)

you're making a presumption that all leaks come from reviewers, which just isn't how it goes down. as is the case with the film industry, many of the leaks originate from within i.e. from people somewhere on the chain of production (at the pressing plant).

Blackjaw_ (November 23, 2009)

My suggestion wasn't to totally fix the problem, just to help it. Keeping it from the press will help prevent leaks, not stop them. It's better than nothing.

Dante3000 (rich) (November 23, 2009)

I don't see what's wrong with the "sue the shit out of the 5 year old kid and single mother" model. It's worked pretty well for America.
-Dante

1+ Reply

Wesley_Snipes (November 23, 2009)

until... of course... they sue j00 ! ! !

jacknife737 (November 23, 2009)

Typical tax and spend NDP.

It starts with tax on mp3 players, and it'll end with a cultural revolution.

Shindo (adam) (November 23, 2009)

Just a random fact: The NDP MP involved here was Charlie Angus (Timmins - James Bay), and he used to play in an 80s punk band called L'Étranger.

-adam

3+ Replies

AmericanRiot (November 23, 2009)

were they french canadien or just pretentious?

rparungao (November 23, 2009)

The difference being...

AmericanRiot (November 23, 2009)

touche'

kevgren (November 23, 2009)

They're named after a Camus novel, so your answer is pretentious.

dontforgetjosh (November 23, 2009)

Vinyl is making a comeback. It has way more collector's value than CDs, the album art is better looking, and it just sounds awesome.

All they have to do is convince kids that records are like pokemon, gotta catch'em all.
It'll boost record sales and re-establish one of the best ways of listening to music amongst the youngsters.

2+ Replies

AmericanRiot (November 23, 2009)

turntables are a lot more of a pain in the ass than cd players. it is easier to warp records and make them less playable than CDs. some stuff sounds better on vinyl, but a lot sounds better on CD. i never thought hardcore sounded better on vinyl, and aside from it being born onto the 7inch format, it really makes no sense. i held on to tapes for a long time, and was hesitant to switch to CDs. CDs finally shown as more convenient and utilitarian. records, while i listened to them growing up, i never found to be very practical.

red_eye_inc (November 23, 2009)

records were like 2% of total music sales last year, it's like saying rinback tones are the wave of the future. Who would waste their time reverting back to an old format? I have records, but it's only because I don't have a car.

kidgotham (November 23, 2009)

Billy Bragg is amazing. Nothing more to say then that.

crackpotdemagogue (November 23, 2009)

certainly one of the most reasonable and rational attempts at a solution to the 'problem'.

madomen (November 24, 2009)

Why is Billy Bragg fighting some Canadian bullshit when things are so much worse back in the UK atm?

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