I’ve not been reporting on the debate in Canada over the conduct of Sam Bulte, and her copyright industry-funded fundraiser. The place to go for background and comments is Michael Geist’s website. It’s a truly fascinating (and disturbing) story, but for the moment, it doesn’t impact on, or have implications for, the Australian situation. So I direct you elsewhere for that story.

But Geist has linked to what I think is a fascinating post, by Matthew Good, Canadian musician. It’s a comment on whether the interests of the ‘Canadian Music Industry’ and the interests of Canadian Musicians coincide. A taste:

‘The most important realization that any Canadian can make about this country’s music industry is that it is almost entirely beholden to foreign parent companies. Now, many of you might be labouring under the false assumption that the primary concern of Canada’s foremost corporate music giants is the promotion and support of domestic artists, but nothing could be further from the truth. Canadian companies exhaust the majority of their energies promoting large international acts, basically acting as little more than regional sales offices. Below those concerns is found whatever investment remains in Canadian music, an investment that over the last decade has rapidly declined. That’s not to say that all interest is gone, or that there aren’t a few good people left out there with their heads screwed on straight, just that their options are limited by those above them.’

The issues that Good talks about are issues that potentially face music industries and musicians in small economies. Australia, too, has a small or branch economy. I wonder whether there are many Australian artists who would mirror Good’s comments? An issue worth exploring.

4:07 pm - posted by . Categories: Copyright
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