1 of 1- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline 
Rant Alert: CRTC Urges Levies On Netflix, Spotify & More For Can Con
This didn't start out as a rant. But the more I considered what the CRTC suggested on Thursday, the more angry I got. And the results appear below.
<rant>
A message to the CRTC: Stay the f- out of my Internet!
This comes after the Commission released an extensive document on the future of digital media in this country, divided into categories like television, radio, satellite/cable or online. (You can see it at the link below.) To no one's surprise the inevitable conclusion is that there must be more Canadian Content on every platform, regardless of whether it's traditional broadcasting, Netflix, YouTube or Spotify.
Yeah, good luck with that.
CRTC Report: The Future of Programming Distribution in Canada
I haven’t always agreed with many here who write endlessly and probably far too often in every thread about how the industry has changed and we’re all fossils, but it’s certainly a lesson the Commission could think about. You can’t keep legislating content in a world without borders.
There is some great Can Con out there and while there have been some subsidies to make it happen, the truly great stuff finds investors and gets shown all over the world. Not because it’s Canadian, but because it’s good. And in the end, that’s all that counts.
The new recommendations (and really, they’re not all that new) from the CRTC suggest that subscribers should have to pay extra, with the money going to support Canadian content. Much of it stems from complaints by the Bells, Rogers and Corus-es of the world, who whine that it’s not fair they have to pay to support locally made programming and the other guys don’t.
What’s next? We block out the signals of NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox because they don’t pay for The National?
I’m sick of having to fork out money I don't have to help make inferior shows I don’t watch. The one great advantage of the web is the freedom to see almost anything from anywhere, without having to worry about where it came from.
So get ready to fork out more for shows you probably will never look at or music you may not listen to. Despite previous hysteria about a “Netflix” tax, it looks like it’s coming here sooner than later, whether you want it or not.
</rant>
Those who would prefer a more calm and rational explanation of what the Commission is up to can access the Globe & Mail story below.
CRTC calls for levies on Netflix, Spotify and internet providers to support Canadian content
- markow202
- Member
Offline
Re: Rant Alert: CRTC Urges Levies On Netflix, Spotify & More For Can Con
I dont understand. Isnt Drake, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion already on Spotify for example? Its not a like a radio station where they have to play a certain amount of can con per hour.... I play what I want.
- cGrant
- Banned
Offline
Re: Rant Alert: CRTC Urges Levies On Netflix, Spotify & More For Can Con
RadioActive wrote:
how the industry has changed and we’re all fossils.
The one great advantage of the web is the freedom to see almost anything from anywhere, without having to worry about where it came from.
Point #1: Cute and subtle: Yes, I write about how the industry has changed. But, as to the "fossil" ideology, that realm ONLY applies to those that are, let's say, past their due date and still expect to be bought for full price. Those than can (say it with me) "adapt" are clearly NOT fossils. Only those that b***h and romanticize about the past like it's Nervana and, because of their past success, they expect tech and efficiencies to not affect them, those could be, well.....
Point #2: Ah, but you cannot "see almost anything from anywhere, without having to worry about where it came from" -- geoblocking is in full effect on the web. Try accessing Netflix U.S. (a far better product) WITHOUT the use of a VPN or other no-no means to bypass their security. The same is true about thousands of worldwide sites.
All that said, I 100% agree with your <rant>. I watch what I watch because there's some interest and quality in my opinion. I don't care where it comes from. If it's Canada, great; if not, no biggie. In 2018, let's call the Grim Reaper and stone the beast known as the mighty CanCon. Let our entertainment sink or swim solely based on its merit and not because we need to subsidize it.
- Mike Cleaver
- Member
Offline
Re: Rant Alert: CRTC Urges Levies On Netflix, Spotify & More For Can Con
The Canadian Rotten Television Commission needs to disappear.
Just a bunch of ex Telecom hacks being bribed by the corpse to give them what they want.
Time to put some real broadcasters on this body or if not, scrap it.
And I don't mean corporate toadies either.
The commission should be made up of ordinary Canadians and men and women who actually worked in the trenches of radio and TV, who did the actual work and got the ratings.
- cGrant
- Banned
Offline
Re: Rant Alert: CRTC Urges Levies On Netflix, Spotify & More For Can Con
The commission should be made up of ordinary Canadians and men and women who actually worked in the trenches of radio and TV, who did the actual work and got the ratings.
"Ordinary Canadians" don't give a rat's ass about the Commission and their decisions. Seriously. Think about it.
And, just because someone "got the ratings" doesn't mean they have the objective prowess to function as a Commissioner. In fact, they may very well be slanted towards THEIR buddies. It's a no-win.
No, just get rid of the Commission and let Industry Canada licence the frequencies appropriately. Beyond that -- let the market decide.