Martin Vows To Protect Our Cultural Sovereignty--By Making Music Downloads Illeg

Nice rhetoric in my opinion, the issue of downloading music is complex; we in Canada already pay a royalty to the music industry on all our blank cd's and tapes, even if we use them to record ourselves, our written data or whatever. I watched an interview with several bands and they said they didn't mind that people share music, because they more than make up for it at concerts etc. Also it gives people the chance to discover new artists that they wouldn't otherwise be exposed to.

I think there is alot more to supporting Canadian music, arts etc than this one issue, but the PM can make people think he is interested in protecting artist rights, whether he actually does anything will remain to be seen. I wonder how he'll feel about protecting the right to free speach if someone records a song that is not 'politically correct'; as in anti-corporate takeover, or pro-soveriegn Canada?

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

Pure rhetoric. Not one cent of that levy has gone to a single artist, it's just another way for the government to support big business.<p> A recent <a href='http://www.technewsworld.com/perl/story/33295.html'>study</a> has also shown there is <a href='http://slashdot.org/articles/04/03/30/1537232.shtml?tid=126&tid=141&tid=187&tid=188&tid=95'>no co-relation</a> between a song's popularity to downloaders and it's CD sales.<p> I think the CIRA forgets that many people have lost their jobs in many industries - it's called a "downturn in the economy". That and there hasn't been a CD I wanted to buy in 10 years.<p> Co-incidence is not equal to causality. Because my power went out one night, and there was a full moon, does not make the full moon responsible for the power outage.<p> I wonder if this bill passes, if they'll drop the levy on blank CD's and iPods and Hard Drives. Bwahahahahahaha!<p><p>---<br>"History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme" Mark Twain <br />
"The greatest price of not participating in politics is being governed by your inferiors." Plato

Yeah,what a loser! Saying something as goofy as that, thinking that will convince us that he`s for Canada. That`s just as good as Bill Clinton claiming he didn`t inhale! I just can`t get over the ridiculousness of these idiots! Just like when the mad cow thing resurfaced in the states, and you would have thought that they`d shut the border to American beef. No! Instead they banned imports of pet food! Why? Because (are you ready for this) they were worried about poor people who don`t have the money to purchase a proper diet, who had to resort to eating pet food to survive! I don`t know, these politicians are all on glue!!! I just can`t say here what i`d like to see happen to them!

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Dave Ruston

<blockquote>I wonder how he'll feel about protecting the right to free speach if someone records a song that is not 'politically correct'; as in anti-corporate takeover, or pro-soveriegn Canada?</blockquote> <p> What, like most punk bands, who happen to get a lot of exposure through filesharing? </p><p>---<br>Jesse <br />

I would never have heard "Every Sperm is Sacred" on the radio.<p> <p>---<br>"History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme" Mark Twain <br />
"The greatest price of not participating in politics is being governed by your inferiors." Plato

When the case was thrown out of court the lawyers and rep.s for the RIAA said they intended to have the law changed immediately. So, I imagine that they called Paul and said "change the law for us right away". To which he replied "OK, I will".

Paul Martin is in favor of anything that makes money for a private corporation that has enough money to make donations to the Liberals. That is all he cares about, the rest is just window dressing to try and curry favor with those that think he did a good thing. I think he just promised to take away more of our rights. So, get out there and download and upload like there was no tomorrow because the darkness is coming.

Oh brother. Another dinosaur worried about the evils of mp3s. There were doomsayers about cassette tapes and VHS way back when too. Did they kill the music/video industry? If Martin wants to protect our sovereignty, he can start by abrogating NAFTA.

<p><a href="http://www.downhillbattle.org/index.php">Downhill Battle</a> should be required reading.</p><p>---<br>Jesse <br />

<p>Myself I will admit that I download files for <b>free</b> and also for a <b>fee</b> through <a href="http://www.puretracks.com">www.puretracks.com</a> I don't consider what I'm doing as illegal. I've seen Michael Jackson, Madonna and George Michael promote free file sharing. Considering Michael and Madonna both have their own record company, it makes you wonder why they would promote this. <p>Some artist are saying that they have no problem with file sharing, cause they make money through royalties of material and conserts. <p>Kevin

That nots going to go over well with us young people. hey, im going to download anyways, its not like there are any decent pay sites like rhapsody/napster 2.0 in america

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Proud to be CANADIAN!

Well, is it just me, or is Martin just handing an ace in the hole to the other parties come election time? I mean, his record on education funding is already pretty obvious. And anyone who's looked into his take on marijuana legislation knows that the only change to the common user will be handing out of fines. And now he's taking free music sharing?

Can you say "alienating the youth"?? Who's he trying to "build" this "sovereign nation" for anyways?

I did a debate in my english class on mp3's last year. What it came down to for us was this:

Peer-to-peer file sharing gives unknown artists exposure and recognition and allows useful exchange of music. It was argued that any talented artist would welcome the exposure and exploit it through concert sellouts.

The other side argued that it's unfair to artists and record companies because of lost sales.

The conclusion we reached was that the premise on which the latter argument was based is purely theoretical. Only if the record companies can prove beyond reasonable doubt that people who download music would otherwise have bought it do they have a claim to its wrongness.

Good luck proving that.

Oh and just a note: We weren't arguing legality. We were arguing morality.

-KY

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Kory Yamashita

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

<p> <i>Of course</i> Martin supports nailing file-sharers. Its one more international trade agreement he can support to please his corporate friends and masters. Its called the World Intellectual Property Organization, and its got a M.A.I.-style treaty Canada is currently in the process of ratifying. </p> <p> When that happens--stay tuned. The copyright police will be busting down a door <i>near you.</i> </p> <p> <a href="http://p2pnet.net/story/1145">See p2pnet for background</a> </p>

paul martin is an idiot, and if anyone can't see that, than your an idiot's slave....

Way to reach out to the youth, Paul! Anyone else noticing that youth are being driven into the NDP camp? That is, if we vote.