RIAA and Public Media

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2003-09-17 12:02pm

MKSheppard wrote: Uh huhm, my view towards your system has been biased since I once saw
an episode of Michael Moore's TV NATION showing how the british government
pays people to drive around in special vans to find "unregistered" TV
sets

Well the big brother spy cams that you often complain about just weren’t getting the job done and there were still people resisting the will of the party so we had to step up surveillance of those who break the law.

Nova Andromeda · Post by **Nova Andromeda** » 2003-09-17 12:05pm

kojikun wrote:I was thinking about the RIAA lawsuits, and what a public good is in economic terms, and then it hit me -- The United States should set up an equivalent of the BBC. Either an entirely new company, or by buying out some major record companies, and then taxing consumers for things like computers or MP3 players. A small tax, maybe $50 a year per device or something. But all music produced by the company would free (as in freedom, not as in beer). Thats no to say that all commercial labels would vanish, but we'd have the American equivalent of the BBC, only bigger and better because we have more people and mroe tax revenue. You figure, I have a computer and an iPod, thats $200 a year. Most people would be paying about that much, on average, so $100*300,000,000 is a WHOPPING $30,000,000,000 tax revenue that would be funnelled directly into the corporation. Because its a public company, it would not be run like a commercial company, and would produce higher quality music because of the ability to take huge risks.

The creation of a public good supports this -- people are unwilling to pay for the product themselves (proven by the widespread use of downloading software) but would still benefit from the product if it didn't cost as much. It would be alot like public parks. Only instead of funding parks, we fund music. It works brilliantly in Britain, tho some people don't like having to pay a tax on something they don't necessarilly want. Well, tough noogies. Maybe we could have a thing that taxes people for owning download software, monitored by whoever.

Something similar should be done with PBS, so we can get some good quality television here. Tho knowing the US, something like this will never happen.

Just an opinion. Feel free to ramble along with me.

--So all of us poor people who have no real use for this shit just get screwed huh? Forget that. Unless of course we setup a similar company to support my ice cream and chocolate habbit....

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-17 12:05pm

Zac Naloen wrote:so, they get to watch the bbc for free whilst everyone else has to pay?

*Turns on TV, and notices six different channels, ABC, NBC, CBS, WB, UPN,
and PBS all operating without having to suck money from me*

Grand Admiral Thrawn · Post by **Grand Admiral Thrawn** » 2003-09-17 12:10pm

Wait, I have to play $50 every year for all the computers, DVD players, CD-ROM, etc I own, to pay for your bullshit free music that I'm not even going to use?

Fuck that!

Zac Naloen · Post by **Zac Naloen** » 2003-09-17 12:11pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Zac Naloen wrote:so, they get to watch the bbc for free whilst everyone else has to pay?
*Turns on TV, and notices six different channels, ABC, NBC, CBS, WB, UPN,
and PBS all operating without having to suck money from me*

you completely missed the point.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-17 12:18pm

Zac Naloen wrote: you completely missed the point.

We have a thriving television industry without having to tax people
on TVs they own.

Zac Naloen · Post by **Zac Naloen** » 2003-09-17 12:22pm

yes... but i was talking about the UK, not the US

hence, you missed the point

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-17 12:23pm

Zac Naloen wrote:yes... but i was talking about the UK, not the US

Exactly. Long live Michael Moore for showing me the truth about the perfidious
English!

Nova Andromeda · Post by **Nova Andromeda** » 2003-09-17 12:24pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Zac Naloen wrote: you completely missed the point.
We have a thriving television industry without having to tax people
on TVs they own.

--Instead they tax my sanity with most of the crap on TV. Then again I do like Inuyasha and the News Hour....

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2003-09-17 12:31pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Zac Naloen wrote: you completely missed the point.
We have a thriving television industry without having to tax people
on TVs they own.

And you have Fox network. That evens the score nicely.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-09-17 12:31pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Zac Naloen wrote:so, they get to watch the bbc for free whilst everyone else has to pay?
*Turns on TV, and notices six different channels, ABC, NBC, CBS, WB, UPN,
and PBS all operating without having to suck money from me*

Actually PBS comes out of your income tax Shep, that's why there are no commericals (unless it's pledge time), blame Lyndon Johnson.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-17 12:31pm

SirNitram wrote: And you have Fox network. That evens the score nicely.

(watches The Simpsons)

that evens the score nicely.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-17 12:32pm

The Yosemite Bear wrote: Actually PBS comes out of your income tax Shep, that's why there are no commericals (unless it's pledge time), blame Lyndon Johnson.

Problem - I haven't paid income tax yet. At all

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2003-09-17 12:46pm

MKSheppard wrote:
SirNitram wrote: And you have Fox network. That evens the score nicely.
(watches The Simpsons)

that evens the score nicely.

*flicks on BBC 2*

Yup, there it is right there....

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-09-17 12:49pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Zac Naloen wrote:yes... but i was talking about the UK, not the US
Exactly. Long live Michael Moore for showing me the truth about the perfidious
English!

It took the Blob to inform you of that? I've known about European TV taxes since freshman year German class six years ago...

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2003-09-17 12:50pm

Um, see the earlier mention about PBS?

At least in the UK its only people with TV's that pay for TV....

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-09-17 12:55pm

Doesn't it also specify colour televisions only being taxed, or is that a country-specific thing?

They have a TV tax in Japan, too, but it's specifically for the national NHK network. You can actually get out of paying it by claiming that you don't watch NHK, or by refusing to let the "NHK Man" (as the collecters are nicknamed) inside.

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2003-09-17 01:03pm

I'm not sure as I dont bother with that part of things....I know it used to be a lisence for black and white TV's was cheaper....though I havent a clue what it is now.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2003-09-17 02:06pm

kojikun wrote:
RedImperator wrote:I know about the special taxes on sales. They're one-time taxes. Koji was advocating a YEARLY tax on all electronic media devices you own, which is what I was responding to.
Not all, just music devices. And the music would be FREE. As in open source. As in all the RIAA shit put under the GPL.

Koji, I just went through my house to do a count. Counting just devices that play music (meaning I ignored TVs, VCRs, and DVD players), and only those in active use (so the old CD player in the attic doesn't count), the tax on this house would come to $700 a year, more than the current value of any single piece of electronic equipment in the house including the computer I'm typing this on and far more than we spend on electronic media total, the overwhelming majority of which is spent on DVDs and Playstation games, neither of which would be made free by your tax.

That tax would strangle the electronics industry, and for what? Free music I can already download off Kazaa if I cared to?

Zac Naloen · Post by **Zac Naloen** » 2003-09-17 02:11pm

in the uk we pay 1 fee for all televisions in the house... £70 or something like that...

you can have as many tv's as you want... its the house thats licensed not the technology.

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2003-09-17 02:16pm

Doesn't it also specify colour televisions only being taxed, or is that a country-specific thing?

The UK has one amount for Colour TV's, a lesser amount for black and white and if you don't have that then there is a radio tax although I'm not sure if that is still enforced (probably though).

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-17 02:18pm

TheDarkling wrote:then there is a radio tax although I'm not sure if that is still enforced (probably though).

Jesus Fuck! Is there any electronic communications device that
ISN'T taxed in England?

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2003-09-17 02:28pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Jesus Fuck! Is there any electronic communications device that
ISN'T taxed in England?

Computers, alot of students dodge the TV tax by getting a TV card although Im sure that loop hole will close soon.

Zac Naloen · Post by **Zac Naloen** » 2003-09-17 02:34pm

i've never heard of the radio tax... although it makes sense with the 4 national radio stations and god knows how many fucking local stations that are run by the bbc

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2003-09-17 02:37pm

Zac Naloen wrote:i've never heard of the radio tax... although it makes sense with the 4 national radio stations and god knows how many fucking local stations that are run by the bbc

Well first there was a radio tax and then it was a combined TV/radio one (or just radio if you didn't have a TV) and as more and more people had TVs it just became a silent part of the combo TV license however I still think that if you don't have a TV the original radio tax applies.

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