UK artists seek 'luvvie levy' on new gadgets to make up for all the media that consumers access online
- Reference: 1624976107
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/06/29/arts_fee_gadgets_uk/
- Source link:
DACS – the visual artists' rights management nonprofit – reckons a levy of 1-2 per cent on the sale of new tech gadgets could help raise £250m-£300m a year.
Part of the reasoning behind the initiative, it said, is that it would help redress the balance caused by people accessing music, films, and other creative material online without paying for it directly.
[1]
Instead, the cash would be paid into [2]The Smart Fund – described as a "collaboration between writers, artists, performers, technology manufacturers and government" – which, in turn, would be distributed to finance creative industries.
[3]Study finds crayfish treated with antidepressants become more outgoing, adventurous
[4]US Supreme Court rules teens cussing out schools on social media is protected speech
[5]Bug at payments processor WorldPay swipes £2k+ per ride ticket from Brighton Pier revellers
[6]Hungover Brits declare full English breakfast the solution to all their ills
As the organisers behind the scheme explained: "The fund would work by placing a small levy on the sale of mobiles, laptops, PCs and devices that are built to allow people to store and download creative content, solving the problem that creators are not recompensed for the use of their work.
"Small payments, the equivalent of 1-3 per cent of the sales value of the device, would be paid into a central fund that is distributed to creators and performers to help them sustain a living from their content, support and bring together communities."
[7]
Although some in the arts world are making a great song and dance about the idea, it seems others are less than enthusiastic.
El Reg contacted a number of leading consumer tech brands including Apple, Samsung, and Sony to see whether they would be happy to sign up to the scheme and either pass on the cost to consumers or take a financial hit themselves. We're still waiting to hear back.
[8]
A spokesperson at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport said they had been made aware of the Smart Fund but that it was too soon to comment. ®
Get our [9]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YNtDoIXPXKeJnA-WQ2y-AQAAABY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://thesmartfund.co.uk/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/29/crayfish_antidepressants/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/25/us_supreme_court_rules_teens/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/25/brighton_pier_payments_snafu_makes/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/24/hangover_survey/
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YNtDoIXPXKeJnA-WQ2y-AQAAABY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YNtDoIXPXKeJnA-WQ2y-AQAAABY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: What ?
> If people are consuming creative material online, they're going somewhere for that, so tax that place.
We've already got a bedroom tax.
Another VD TX, (Value Deduction Tax)
Who else besides the luvvies would think up a VD tax? I have nothing produced by them on my devices, though I do have some self-created images from the last 50 plus years, Can I tax the damned luvvies? To recover the cost of film and digital cards used more recently.
Another daft, no make that obnoxious idea for file thirteen.
Guilty as charged - I blame FM radio
I never buy any albums and why would I when I can nail the dial to ckua.com?
(and if I wanted I could capture the stream with "total recorder" for time-shift purposes, I guess I could, I never have.)
So they want to dip in to every tech sale *and* keep strict DRM on their sales?
But on the bright side. I bought a new mouse the other day, so I suppose all my years of pirating films is now justified. All is right in the world once more.
Megaphone icon because: If I bought one of these tech gadgets, it means now I can steal a handbag or a car right? My memory of that classic advert is fading!
Okay.
There is a video on the internet somewhere of me making a glove puppet sing happy birthday. Where do I sign up for my cut of these millions? Does the puppet have to sign too?
Re: Okay.
I bough a tech gadget once. Therefore it is my consumer right to be presented with this video.
(Seriously, now I do kinda want to see it! I always predicted that some of the guys on these forums must be more creative than me. I never dreamed that I would one day get to experience it!)
Re: Okay.
If you can find it you can watch it. It's a wolf with a balloon.
Too much money is already wasted on "supporting the arts". Approx 4 billions pounds a year of our tax money.
If these artists are talented enough to make salable product, then they can sell it, otherwise they should just sponging and get a proper job like everybody else.
That's how you end up with only Marvel movies and TV reboot series. Also, the spin-off money from the arts has the highest ROI for any government investment.
If it's such a good investment then may I suggest the luvvies invest in themselves to make up any perceived shortfall in profits.
Citation needed.
Blank media tax V2.0
First they did it with a tax on blank media (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_copying_levy) and now they want to put it on devices.
Oddly the articles does not includes tablets.
redress the balance caused by people accessing ... online without paying for it directly
So, my Netflix, Amazon subscription doesn't generate any revenue for them? Or do they mean they should have asked for more? Or do they just think that they should be paid more than once?
Why should they get 2% on the $10,000 I used to build a crypto mining rig? (I didn't, but I might have).
Get real.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
I mean, apart from grey imports destroying the UK media devices business overnight...
What free stuff?
Hmmm, my "media consumption":
Netflix, Spotify ... Paid by monthly subscription
BBC etc ... Paid for with my TV licence fee
ITV etc ... Supported by advertising
DVDs ... All paid for at retail prices
So, where's all this free shit that the luvvies imagine I'm mainlining 24/7 ?
Re: What free stuff?
it's probably art displayed on your way from your place to your work... A lot of good that does when you work from home.
We have this shit in Italy
We have this shit in Italy, it's called "equo compenso" (something like "the right compensation") and it's needed to fund the SIAE, which is a clusterfuck in itself. It's applied to almost everything: servers, disks, any recordeable media, pcs, phones, set top boxes, etc. It's quite easily avoidable by buying online from some European seller.
They already have something similar in Germany...a portion of your broadband bill goes to the media industry, on the assumption that you're just going to pirate everything, so at least this way they get something from you.
But...it's still illegal to pirate. Hmm. So...they charge you a levy on the assumption you're going to do it, and it's illegal if you actually do it. How does that work?
Oh the irony ...
Only in Britain could you suggest taxing one of the outlets for your product.
Perhaps a tax on theatres and music venues? Perhaps a tax on written music scores and violins?
Perhaps a tax on those "superstars" who are paid excessively ... oh, nerve touched there I reckon ...
Re: Oh the irony ...
It's 'only in Britain' because a lot of other countries have already been daft enough to implement.
Only in Britain could you suggest taxing
Well, it's been raised in Britain, but it's not from an official (government) source.
What about the people in the software world?
This techy tax should go towards a fund for the unsung people in the software development world that this DACS 'non-profit' rely on for ripping off each others work.
How about an eating tax to be applied to supermarkets to create a fund to help support the restaurants that are struggling with the pandemic?
And an alcohol tax for the pubs and clubs that are also struggling.
"luvvie levy"
Sony Operating profit 2020-2021
games and network services division : $3.17 billion
music division: $1.74 billion.
BMG : boosted its annual profit by 34 percent to $1.77 billion
Netflix : made $542 million in profit on $6.64 billion in sales in the fourth quarter 2020.
I gave up looking any further at this point. I think we can all see where this "luvvie levy" really needs to come from if the artists feel they're getting a rough deal. More than enough money is being made.
FOSS
I think a "techy tax" would be far better employed supporting FOSS! Think of all those people who have contributed software that underpins many of these devices and networks for little or no return.
It's basically a demand that the gummint pay them for failing at their hobby (it must be hobby, because if it were work they'd be getting paid).
What we need is lions. Fierce, hungry lions. That'd fix this particular problem, and might work well in other areas, too.
What ?
" redress the balance caused by people accessing music, films, and other creative material online without paying for it directly "
Hey, I'm all for supporting the Arts, but why choose to tax the equipment ? If people are consuming creative material online, they're going somewhere for that, so tax that place.
Are we going to start hearing a variation on VHS killed the film industry ?
Stop this nonsense.