XPost: alt.music.radiators, alt.music.fates-warning, alt.music.saxophone   
   XPost: alt.music.midi, rec.arts.anime.music   
   From: inverseparadox@comcast.net   
      
   Rob Kelk wrote:   
      
   > On Tue, 12 Oct 2004 11:01:03 -0400, "Keyz Brown"   
   >  wrote:   
   >   
   >> What about supporting the composers and artists that create the   
   >> material ? I am against the RIAA controlling anything, but as a   
   >> Studio Owner and Composer, I know that it's sure nice to get a   
   >> check for your efforts and to keep the dog fed.   
   >   
   > Assuming you're in Canada, that's what the surtax on blank tapes,   
   > blank CDs, and blank DVDs is for.  (I can't understand why the USA   
   > hasn't put a similar system into place.  ASCAP doesn't have anywhere   
   > near the public relations problems that the RIAA does, and they're   
   > getting their money.)   
      
   Allegedly, a large part of the reason is that the people who *don't*   
   make such copies (but do use such blank media for other, currently legal   
   purposes) don't want to have to pay for them - and because it's illegal   
   to make such copies, people aren't willing to admit to making them, and   
   you have a minor political Catch-22.   
      
   (There's also the fact that as long as no such tax is in place, the   
   people who download and so forth continue to not have to pay anything -   
   and as long as enforcement is almost completely lax anyway, which it is,   
   it doesn't look like they'd gain much from paying.)   
      
   Plus, that would catch only the people who transfer what they've   
   downloaded to those types of media. Those who keep it all on hard   
   drives, which is not so infeasible as it might seem (especially with   
   hot-swappable external drives, which do exist nowadays - though it's   
   quite feasible without), would not wind up paying the tax.   
      
   --   
          The Wanderer   
      
   Warning: Simply because I argue an issue does not mean I agree with any   
   side of it.   
      
   A government exists to serve its citizens, not to control them.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)