Earlier this year the government outlined plans introduce a private copying exception to copyright law, which would make it legal to copy CDs or DVDs onto an iPod or computer.
This prompted the MU to propose a motion at the annual TUC meeting today which calls on the government to acknowledge its obligations under EU directives and ensure that the exception rule is accompanied by fair compensation.
It argued that artists and creators in almost all other EU member states benefit from a levy system imposed on the manufacturers of mp3 players and similar devices. Funds raised in this way are then shared around musicians.
John Smith, MU general secretary, said: ‘The MU is not proposing an “iPod tax” on consumers. What we are asking for is fair compensation for creators from the device manufacturers.
‘These manufacturers are already paying patent and software licences for each device sold, and yet, under the UK proposal, the act of copying music onto these devices - the content the consumer is most interested in - will not generate any income for musicians.
‘Despite an outstanding international reputation for British musicians, more than half of MU members still earn less than £20,000 a year from their profession. We have one of the best music industries in the world. The government should be making it easier to survive as a musician – not harder. I am delighted that the TUC have agreed to support us in this battle.’
This prompted the MU to propose a motion at the annual TUC meeting today which calls on the government to acknowledge its obligations under EU directives and ensure that the exception rule is accompanied by fair compensation.
It argued that artists and creators in almost all other EU member states benefit from a levy system imposed on the manufacturers of mp3 players and similar devices. Funds raised in this way are then shared around musicians.
John Smith, MU general secretary, said: ‘The MU is not proposing an “iPod tax” on consumers. What we are asking for is fair compensation for creators from the device manufacturers.
‘These manufacturers are already paying patent and software licences for each device sold, and yet, under the UK proposal, the act of copying music onto these devices - the content the consumer is most interested in - will not generate any income for musicians.
‘Despite an outstanding international reputation for British musicians, more than half of MU members still earn less than £20,000 a year from their profession. We have one of the best music industries in the world. The government should be making it easier to survive as a musician – not harder. I am delighted that the TUC have agreed to support us in this battle.’
