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Don McLean wrote a song back in 1971 titled American Pie which was inspired by the death of Buddy Holly and with the message “The day the music died”. Well the time has come again and unfortunately the victim is Canada. The Canada Copyright Board has announced the most ludicrous tarriff for music at live events including weddings, conventions, karaoke bars, ice shows, and fairs. Here is an excerpt from Table 4 outlining the cost to play music at a wedding reception:
So on average, a Canadian can expect to pay $26.63 in fees which will be collected by the good ole honor system and sent to a not for profit orginization named Re:Sound.
Essentially it’s up to the business that owes the royalty to decide exactly what their accounting will be, where it comes from,” said Re:Sound director of communications Matthew Fortier in a telephone interview.
Fortier also confirmed there will be a team of licensing professionals to ensure rules are being followed most likely very similar to the Liquor Control Board who sends power tripping indiviuals around to local Jack & Jills to squash any hopes of the bride & groom receiving any profit from the evening.
While the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) already collects money from many of these events for the songwriters, Re:Sound will represent the record labels and performers who contributed to the music.
Is it just me or are we moving backwards here? Since the inception of streaming radio and iTunes I have found myself purchasing more content than in previous years. I think with Cloud based music services and easier ways to download digital music, people are contributing more and its too bad the Copyright Board, full of obviously very confused individuals, does not get the picture here. Will ammendments be made to include house parties consisting of 2 or more people? This is honestly the most ridiculous tarriff I have heard of. Are you planning a reception in the future? How will this affect you? Leave your comments below!
For more information you can visit the Copyright Board site here.
Source: CP24
