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I saw a tiny segment on TV2 News, about how the Antipirate Group is considering proposing a tax on going on the internet, the money to be used to compensate the artists for illegal downloading.
And I am now going to rant about this, because that kind of thinking just pisses me off.
Because first of all, we already have a tax on going on the internet. It's called the media license. Legally, if you own the means to get online, you have to pay. Really, it's just a tax.
Second, part of the problem isn't that people are acquiring music in less than completely legal ways. They've been doing that since everybody was playing with tapes. An organization like CopyDan (basically, people who ensure that artists receive money in compensation for various uses in public spheres) is actually partly funded by a small extra amount paid every time you buy an empty, recordable media - dvd, cd, vhs, usb stick. However, they get no money for things like MP3 players or harddisc recorders, so basically they are getting less and less money - and at the sime time, more and more stuff is acquired over the internet, in ways that noone really keeps track of.
So, here's my suggestion, humble as it is. First, ditch the media license and simply introduce a straightforward media tax, which would have the advantage of being income dependant and therefore not as much of a drain on the resources of poor students, for instance. Make it automatic, not dependent on you admitting you have a tv. Maybe change the law so new MP3 players and suchlike also has to cost a tiny bit extra - considering the relative amounts involved compared to all the empty cds you used to have to buy, it's still cheap.
Second, force every media to be fully integrated in the library system. No loopholes. No fucking karenstid. No dvd publishers deciding which dvds can be available where. And dear music and dvd industry - stop bitching - seriously, have a chat with the book publishers. They always bitch about the library not buying enough, while you actively try to stop the library from buying - and the stupid thing is, dvds and cds need replacement copies a lot more often than nice solid paper books.
Third, expand netmusik, netlydbog, filmstriben - expand, expand, expand. Make a system where you can legally and freely download a temporary copy of whatever you want. Music, e-books, movies, television series, yet unknown media. Not just Danish stuff, but everything - all the stuff that you currently can't get if you don't download them illegally. Oh, and remember the long tail, okay? Remove the limits of downloading currently imposed - it's all well and good that you can watch movies free and legally, but most people watch more than three movies a month, or read more than three books, or...
Finally, you take the big bag of money from the media tax (because seriously, stop wasting it on DR, they don't deserve it and it's not public service to piss of a large segment of your population like that) and maybe a couple of other places (perhaps sponsorships or advertising in front of movies downloaded - like in the cinema?) and use them to revice the current system of library money, because it is a brilliant system. Basically, make a system not of compensation, but of cultural support given directly to the creators of culture in your nation, calculated based on how much use they see in libraries and through downloading. Ignore the various foreign people to begin with - it's not like they get library money either - besides, it's not like places like the US seem to want our money. I mean, if they did, surely they'd make it possible for the average Dane to acquire their products easily and legally - if we're a too tiny market for them to care about now, then they won't miss what they never had. Maybe later they could get integrated in the system completely - but of course, if they don't want all of it, they won't get the money. Fair's fair.
And for my next trick, let's abolish the system of television channels. Ned med overformynderiet. Viva la revolution!
And I am now going to rant about this, because that kind of thinking just pisses me off.
Because first of all, we already have a tax on going on the internet. It's called the media license. Legally, if you own the means to get online, you have to pay. Really, it's just a tax.
Second, part of the problem isn't that people are acquiring music in less than completely legal ways. They've been doing that since everybody was playing with tapes. An organization like CopyDan (basically, people who ensure that artists receive money in compensation for various uses in public spheres) is actually partly funded by a small extra amount paid every time you buy an empty, recordable media - dvd, cd, vhs, usb stick. However, they get no money for things like MP3 players or harddisc recorders, so basically they are getting less and less money - and at the sime time, more and more stuff is acquired over the internet, in ways that noone really keeps track of.
So, here's my suggestion, humble as it is. First, ditch the media license and simply introduce a straightforward media tax, which would have the advantage of being income dependant and therefore not as much of a drain on the resources of poor students, for instance. Make it automatic, not dependent on you admitting you have a tv. Maybe change the law so new MP3 players and suchlike also has to cost a tiny bit extra - considering the relative amounts involved compared to all the empty cds you used to have to buy, it's still cheap.
Second, force every media to be fully integrated in the library system. No loopholes. No fucking karenstid. No dvd publishers deciding which dvds can be available where. And dear music and dvd industry - stop bitching - seriously, have a chat with the book publishers. They always bitch about the library not buying enough, while you actively try to stop the library from buying - and the stupid thing is, dvds and cds need replacement copies a lot more often than nice solid paper books.
Third, expand netmusik, netlydbog, filmstriben - expand, expand, expand. Make a system where you can legally and freely download a temporary copy of whatever you want. Music, e-books, movies, television series, yet unknown media. Not just Danish stuff, but everything - all the stuff that you currently can't get if you don't download them illegally. Oh, and remember the long tail, okay? Remove the limits of downloading currently imposed - it's all well and good that you can watch movies free and legally, but most people watch more than three movies a month, or read more than three books, or...
Finally, you take the big bag of money from the media tax (because seriously, stop wasting it on DR, they don't deserve it and it's not public service to piss of a large segment of your population like that) and maybe a couple of other places (perhaps sponsorships or advertising in front of movies downloaded - like in the cinema?) and use them to revice the current system of library money, because it is a brilliant system. Basically, make a system not of compensation, but of cultural support given directly to the creators of culture in your nation, calculated based on how much use they see in libraries and through downloading. Ignore the various foreign people to begin with - it's not like they get library money either - besides, it's not like places like the US seem to want our money. I mean, if they did, surely they'd make it possible for the average Dane to acquire their products easily and legally - if we're a too tiny market for them to care about now, then they won't miss what they never had. Maybe later they could get integrated in the system completely - but of course, if they don't want all of it, they won't get the money. Fair's fair.
And for my next trick, let's abolish the system of television channels. Ned med overformynderiet. Viva la revolution!
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