BigShinyThing

The BBC reports that royalty collection agency PPL has quietly introduced a new levy on anyone playing downloaded music in public venues. Never adverse to making a quick buck at the expense of long-term gain, the music industry has decided to sting digital DJs a whopping £200 (+VAT) a year for the right to perform using downloaded tracks — on top of the margin the industry has already negotiated with online retailers, and the existing license fees paid by venues playing any kind of recorded music for punters. Double-dipping? Sounds like it to us. Unreasonable? PPL disagrees:

Business affairs director Peter Leathem told Radio 1’s Newsbeat: “Rather than saying stop it, don’t do it, we’ve actually tried to embrace what people want to do and come up with a licence to be able to do that.” He said the £200 charge was “reasonable”, adding: “You don’t actually have to DJ using a laptop. You can use vinyl, you can use CD, so we’re saying that if it’s not worth your while spending £200 then don’t do it.”

We think they’re missing the point of media convergence, cramping creative style, and being greedy — they’ve already been paid! Besides, £200 is a lot of money for most DJs, and after all, who is it who does most of the work in getting new music in front of the punters?