Would you pay a $75 levy to compensate music artists?

[StreetMedic]

iPod tax: Would you pay a $75 levy to compensate music artists? (http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/09/17/ipod-tax-would-you-pay-a-75-levy-to-compensate-music-artists/)


Can you imagine paying an extra $75 "levy" on top of the sticker price of your next iPod or iPhone, to compensate artists for revenue lost to illegal file-sharing?... Canada is weighing whether to impose such a levy -- or "tax," if you prefer -- on top of the base price of any mobile device that plays music as a way of compensating songwriters, publishers, producers and other artists.

[gosensgo101]

Depends, would it make illegal downloading legal?

[Arctic Blast]

Weeeeee...we already pay a frigging levy on any form of blank media you purchase...let's charge more for that, too!

Stupid and ridiculous.

[SirKodiak]

A levy on non-Quebecois to compensate Quebecois for being part of Canada is next!

(My apologies if that is not the right term)

[Arctic Blast]

A levy on non-Quebecois to compensate Quebecois for being part of Canada is next!

(My apologies if that is not the right term)

I'm not sure if you're right...we tend to simply refer to them as either 'Those damn frogs!' or 'Those whining Frenchies!' around here. :p

[BenFink]

I don't think Apple would be very happy about that

[SirKodiak]

I don't think Apple would be very happy about that

or Walmart

[BenFink]

It would also be quite difficult to distribute that taxed money to the record labels. How can they tell who should get what piece of the pie?

[SirKodiak]

It would also be quite difficult to distribute that taxed money to the record labels. How can they tell who should get what piece of the pie?

The ones that bribe the lawmakers the most get the most, of course.

[BenFink]

I don't know about Canada, but RIAA/the courts levy stupid fines here. A college student being charged 22.5K per song for 30 songs. 222K per to another person.

[Arctic Blast]

It's just absolutely stupid. "Hey, we're just going to assume that everyone who buys an IPod is stealing all of their music, so we'll basically fine you for buying one." Rather unethical customer treatment.

[HoustonGM]

Absurd.

[BenFink]

A $75 fee would basically say to people that they should download at least 75 songs to make up for it, since they basically already paid for them.

[acetoolguy]

Sounds fair...everybodys guilty.

[200tang]

Sounds fair...everybodys guilty.

At first I was going to comment, but then I figured you were saying that sarcastically :p

[acetoolguy]

Yeah, if you can't catch the ones who are, then punish everybody. That way you get the guilty ones too.

[gosensgo101]

If its everywhere but Quebec, I'll just hope in the car for 10 minutes to go buy my media devices.