SOCAN - I’m sick of your behaviour....
By way of qualification, I’m a SOCAN member, and thanks to their efforts, receive an occasional stipend thanks to my contributions on a few songs over the years.
Additionally, I’m a working musician, performing at restaurants and public houses around my city.
SOCAN’s militant and petulant efforts to make every venue pay extravagant licensing fees for live music is going to generate a fiscal nuclear winter for many working musicians, many of whom are SOCAN members themselves. While SOCAN has the law on their side, they certainly are up against it in terms of discretion, and making fair and reasonable choices about how such poorly drafted laws are implemented.
It is not the principle that intellectual property owners ought to be properly compensated for the public commercial performance of their works that irks me....how could it? I’m a creator too. Rather, it is a systemic issue with how these statutes were devised in the 1st place, who they assist, and who they harm that has had me in knots for some time. While I respect letter of the law interpretations, this is an instance where it can be substantially argued that the law is an ass, and ought to be challenged as such.
I have much to say on the subject, including commentary on the utterly preposterous distribution of the funds collected from these little and big venues. Would it surprise you to know that an evening of original music performed by non-SOCAN members would still be subject to tariff?
This is my 1st salvo. I’m really interested in the feedback of my FB friends on this....I have to be open to the idea that I’m being completely wrong-headed about this...
Comments please...
By way of qualification, I’m a SOCAN member, and thanks to their efforts, receive an occasional stipend thanks to my contributions on a few songs over the years.
Additionally, I’m a working musician, performing at restaurants and public houses around my city.
SOCAN’s militant and petulant efforts to make every venue pay extravagant licensing fees for live music is going to generate a fiscal nuclear winter for many working musicians, many of whom are SOCAN members themselves. While SOCAN has the law on their side, they certainly are up against it in terms of discretion, and making fair and reasonable choices about how such poorly drafted laws are implemented.
It is not the principle that intellectual property owners ought to be properly compensated for the public commercial performance of their works that irks me....how could it? I’m a creator too. Rather, it is a systemic issue with how these statutes were devised in the 1st place, who they assist, and who they harm that has had me in knots for some time. While I respect letter of the law interpretations, this is an instance where it can be substantially argued that the law is an ass, and ought to be challenged as such.
I have much to say on the subject, including commentary on the utterly preposterous distribution of the funds collected from these little and big venues. Would it surprise you to know that an evening of original music performed by non-SOCAN members would still be subject to tariff?
This is my 1st salvo. I’m really interested in the feedback of my FB friends on this....I have to be open to the idea that I’m being completely wrong-headed about this...
Comments please...
