I also wanted to write about a post on Boing Boing today “Science Fiction Writers of America abuses the DMCA”.  It is worth reading and is one of the reasons why I don’t support a DMCA style law in Canada.  We need a law that protects creator and consumers in a balanced way.

SOCAN, an organization that is suppose to support Music in Canada and compensate artises for public performance of their works (Radio, Dances, etc.); if you are putting on such an event or broadcasting music you have to pay them a fee (which they “give” to their member).  The thing with SOCAN is that you have to pay them even if the musician doesn’t belong to SOCAN.  Even to the extreme of if an independent musician plays their own music at a gathering they have to pay.

However in the exchange for this, we, in Canada, we are allowed to make copies of music for personal use.

Due to pressure from the US Government and US Music Companies, the Canadian government is making changes to our Copyright laws.  The changes would include support of DRM, anti-curivention and Tariffs on new music “Broadcast” delivery.  This includes a tariff on Podcasters.  The recommendation is that for non-commercial Podcasts that they would need to pay $60 per year.

Now $60 a year isn’t a lot of money, but it’s it might be a lot for some Podcast hobbiests. Almost every Podcaster I know users music that: they have created or have had someone create for them, get approval from the creator or use Creative Commons/Pod Safe music.  In almost all cases the creator is not a member of SOCAN and thus don’t see any of the Podcasters $60.  It instead goes to line the pockets of SOCAN and the big Music Companies (essentially the RIAA), this does not make any sense to me.  Why do I have to pay SOCAN for Music the creator has provided to me for an agreed upon amount (free is an amount) so that they can give it to someone  else?

The only advantage that I could see for this is the possibility of being able to podcast “big” artists.  I would be interesting in hearing from anyone who know if this would be allow under the new laws.