In a fantasy world a device could be rigged to zap all who hate my blog but persist in following.. A bell would peal joyfully every time and my house would be filled with merriment.
When there's information about SOCAN please share with the rest of us. I don't know what it means either.
Stephanie sourced out more Heather Mallick stories on Lori Douglas the Manitoba Associate Justice whose $1.4 million legal expenses were paid from the public purse along with $3 million cost for a public inquiry.
What a bucket of sleaze that was. It wasn't clear her husband was the sole culprit.
Ms Douglas applied four times for the job of judge before being appointed to family court .
The inquiry was ended without conclusion when she resigned from the job with pension intact on a date of her choosing.
I haven't read everything . It's nauseating stuff.
ReplyDelete"STUFF happens!"
Former U.S. Defence Secretary Rumsfeld.
Regarding SOCAN in my rant.
ReplyDeleteSOCAN - The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada.
SOCAN is the "not for profit" group that pays royalties to artists and "peer" organizations for their work.
Through a systemic intimidation plan, they threaten small businesses with fines for not getting licenses to play music in their establishments.
They have in recent years targeted small businesses like hair salons, spas, bars and pubs, curling clubs and clothing stores.
They basically go into these establishments, and if they hear music playing, they check their database to see if the establishment is currently licensed. If not, they send them a notice of pending fines and explain how to avoid those fines by getting licensed. A license is based on the square footage of the establishment.
Any music that is played from a radio, CD player, online source require a license. The only exception is subscription services (Musak/Satellite Radio), because a license fee is built into the subscription.
They claim to take this money and pay the artists, but there is no formula for that on their web sites or documents.
I suggest that you Google SOCAN and Scam. You will see in the results.
It's a huge scam that the Supreme Court endorses. So, they now own the Song Writers' Hall of Fame.... another scam if you ask me.
17:23
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your rant but are not entertainers entitled to profit from having their work enjoyed or endured ? I do see your objection to this middle group - thought that agents handled that stuff.
In defence, I get a cheque periodically from a writers' copyright group which while not large is welcome.
@ 17:23
ReplyDeleteWhat's your problem ? Have they staked out the Centre ? Now that would really be funny if they got dinged for musical nights........
Ok I have been trying to read the material about Justice Douglas. In retrospect, it looks like she should have resigned immediately. But then her husband died from whatever cause & she might have been the only bread winner left. No mention is made of kids so we do not know about that aspect. It is a mess.
ReplyDelete18:18
ReplyDeleteI do not object to artists receiving compensation. However what I object to is the lack of any sort of accounting around how they do this.
For example. Let's say a hair salon get's it's SOCAN license. In the salon, they have their radio set to a station in Toronto that plays current pop songs.
SOCAN does not know what station was on when. So, SOCAN does not know how many times Justin Beiber's songs is heard in that salon. How can SOCAN cut Justin Beiber a cheque for $x without that knowledge? By the same token, that salon could play a CD of the greatest hits of The Monkees for a week. How does SOCAN know that?
There is just no linkage between number of plays and amount to pay.
@18:53
ReplyDeleteI didn't see any affiliation with or support of "the Centre" in the anti-SOCAN commenter's remarks. What prompted you to make a connection?
13:00
ReplyDeleteActually 18:53 has a good point. SOCAN requires a license for live performances as well.
10:01
ReplyDeleteThat is nothing new. It has always been that way. Did you really think that someone scanned all the juke boxes to see who picked what 3 songs for their quarter ?
What's a juke box ?
ReplyDeleteI last saw a juke box in Idaho. Some well-off Americans have them in their " great rooms " which are like our rec rooms. Unlike fragile stereo systems, all ages can play with the things. I think they probably cost about $1000 US. and you can get the records in sets of 12.
ReplyDelete