Canadian songwriter society push for ISP levy

Of course another solution to this whole thing is, rather than getting the internet service providers to stop file sharing, to officially allow file sharing and instead charge a levy which compensates rights owners. It's a system that has been discussed in various parts of the music industry in recent years, though more so in indie circles, with the major record companies generally less keen on a system that completely legitimises file sharing, even in return for an ISP levy. But that proposal is formally on the agenda in Canada where the Songwriters Association Of Canada has issued a proposal suggesting all internet users be charged a five dollars a month levy in return for the right to file share. The group says on its website: "We believe that implementing a fair way of compensating Canada's music creators for the online sharing of their music will usher in a new Golden Age of creativity". The move is unlikely to mean an adoption of the proposals in Canada anytime soon given how many issues there would be to address first - not least the opposition of the ISPs and the major labels, the lobby who will argue it penalises the majority who don't file share, and the question of how the levy is distributed to the content owners.