Money for Nothing: 350 Degrees of Stupid from Canada’s Corporate Music Mindset

A relatively small, but prominent, group of Canadian recording artists have been conscripted to lend their names to a petition asserting that they, and/or their corporate masters, along with administrators of certain copyright collectives, are entitled to divvy up a tax/levy they want the government of Canada to impose on mp3 players and other such devices.

The idea is so wrong-headed that it’s hard to imagine it can gain any traction. Only 350 out of the many, many, thousands of recording artists in Canada have put their names to this nonsense. Still, the same sort of lobby forces previously managed to get a taxy/levy imposed on blank recording media – and for years, people have been ripped off each time they purchase a blank cassette tape, CD etc. – so, who knows, there are strange things done in this land of the ice and snow…

P.S. In mid-December, 2010, Canada's ruling minority party announced it was not pursuing enactment of an "iPod levy". Now, if someone can eliminate the crazy levy people must pay on blank cassette tapes and CDs it will be possible to believe there really is a sanity clause.