ASCAP again

Check this out and get the full scoop right here. This second link even includes some snarky commentary 😍
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So, what’s the verdict on our local tax collectors announcing they’re going to start taxing empty vessels of sound and image?

America ☕

I was just sitting here listening to the news...
there's no way they're going to get away with this.

It was already all over the papers this past Saturday. But then they went and held the presentation today instead. They aren't exactly playing by the rules, are they...

😵 😵

The other day I overheard some moms with kids around five or six years old chatting about video games and copyright law. One of them basically said, "Look, I work for $667 and I’ve got two kids at home, so how am I supposed to explain this? Every kid wants to play these pirated games, so what’s the point of me buying the official version?" Honestly, who cares about copyright law when you're looking at it like that?

Even though it's not a direct link, it gets to the heart of the issue... we can talk about copyright all we want, but it won't mean much until the folks over at ASCAP start living in the real world instead of hiding behind their arrogant, slow-moving monopoly.

ASCAP is just a bunch of hypocritical fat cats 🙂

Dana Anderson44 said:Once those ASCAP hacks actually start living in the real world instead of hiding behind their bloated, outdated system, then maybe we can have a serious conversation about copyright law.

What a massive pile of hypocritical losers that whole ASCAP outfit is.🙂

👍
From what I’ve gathered, they basically just guess when it comes to distributing royalties... I mean, you seriously can't believe how incompetent they are.👎

It’s just legalized mafia.

Those guys at the Department of Commerce😠

Now, let’s see those iPods, iPhones, and MP3 players—I want to make sure Dad ASCAP can take a good look and ensure nobody accidentally has anything undeclared sitting around! 🙂

hollowseal33 said:It’s basically just a legalized mafia.

...and I think that pretty much sums it up. 🙂

This is nothing short of academic fascism... I mean, what if I just want to burn some vital files onto a blank CD to back them up on my hard drive? In that scenario, am I really expected to pay royalties to Sony Music? It’s pure hypocrisy to even mention ASCAP when they're basically just a coordinated mob working to wipe out the last few independent labels... Honestly, situations like this are exactly why I don't mind being exploited by the Germans and the French within the EU...

Thank God, the Department of Commerce has FINALLY stepped up against ASCAP. They basically told them they can't just unilaterally hike prices on whatever they feel like whenever they want. Maybe we’ll actually see some real movement now.

analogharbor442 said:It’s just academic fascism. What if I want to use a blank disc to back up important files on my hard drive? Even then, I’d apparently have to pay royalties to a major label like Sony Music (and let's be real, calling them ASCAP is being generous since they basically teamed up to wipe out any remaining independent labels)... because of stuff like this, I wouldn't mind being exploited by the EU.

Exactly.
It’s a waste of media if it’s just recording something from a major label. 🙂
I wouldn't touch something like that even if it were free.

Here’s another interesting angle. According to their plan, they want to charge an upfront royalty fee on blank CDs just to prevent potential piracy. But if I pay that fee and then burn a bootleg disc, isn't that disc technically legal since the copyright law fee was already covered? 😁

banderas said:Oh, wait—there’s actually another weird thing about this. So, from what I gather, their big plan is to pay an upfront copyright law fee for blank CDs just to protect against potential copying. But, I mean, if I actually pay that fee and then burn a pirated CD anyway... isn't that CD technically legal now since the royalty was already covered? Or am I totally crazy? 😁

I mean, I guess if the copyright law fee is paid for every single individual disc, you'd probably be obligated to actually follow through with it. 😁

banderas said:Oh, and there’s one more interesting little detail to consider...

That is certainly an intriguing way to look at it... ☕

Michael Newman50 said:Honestly, if the royalties have already been paid out for every single track, I think you're pretty much on the hook to get it done.😁

👏 👍

So... where can I sign up to get my cut of those royalties? I mean, once I start burning my own stuff onto CDs—like my concert photography or even some apps I’ve programmed and put on disc—I want my slice of that pie too. If I'm putting my own intellectual property on those same discs, I should definitely be getting a piece of the action.

If anyone happens to stumble upon where you actually register to get a piece of that money, please drop a link or an address or whatever here...

By the way, they totally forgot to mention the royalty rates for hard drives...

banderas said:Well, there’s actually another interesting point here. Apparently, their plan involves paying upfront copyright fees for blank CDs to prevent potential piracy. But, I guess if I pay that fee and then burn a pirated disc, isn't that disc technically legal since the royalty was already covered? Right? 😁

😁 😁 😁

Can we just hire an expert to measure exactly how delusional these proposers are?

From now on, I’m done saying "wanna hear a joke?" Instead, it's gonna be "wanna hear a ZAMP"

😁