Opinion

The value of silence

Recording companies and recording artists are in the throes of demanding from restaurants and cafes a massive increase in the fee for background or ambience music. Massive is no exaggeration. The fee for a 50-seat cafe goes from the current $62 a year to $10,010, for a 50-seat restaurant from $84 to $16,016, for a 120-seat restaurant from $125 to $19,344.

Running the campaign to extract the payments is the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA), which represents the copyright interests of record companies and recording artists. It has already hit nightclubs with a 15-fold increase in fees for playing recorded music, and it won that in the Federal Court's Copyright Tribunal. PPCA has just been back to the tribunal seeking a big increase in copyright fees from gyms and other businesses in the fitness industry, and the tribunal's decision is expected late this year or early next year. Currently gyms pay 96 cents for each aerobics (or other) session that uses recorded music, and PPCA wants gyms to pay $3.80 a month for each member regardless of whether the member attends such sessions!

PPCA tells me, as I detail in my column in The Herald today, that it does not need the approval of the Copyright Tribunal to increase its fees and that it doesn't want to take the case involving restaurants and cafes to the tribunal. These businesses have until August 20 to argue their case to the PPCA and the increases are scheduled to apply from October 1.

I say it's a good thing. Nay, a great thing. I'm tired of having other people's music pumped at me when I'm in a restaurant, a cafe, a shop, a pub, anywhere. Shops and hotels are next on PPCA's hit list, by the way. So the more businesses forced to stop play hip hop, rap or anything else the better. Let's put a new value on silence. Are you with me?

Posted By: Jeff Corbett on 5/08/2009 5:52:00 PM | Comments (24)

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[In most cafes, the music is there for the amusement of the half witted waitstaff, rather than for the pleasure of the patrons.] This was inevitable. Artists / record companies have virtually no hope of stopping digital piracy of their product, so they have to derive income from live performances or gouging the public. This is a great boon for live music. Hooray.

Posted by Abundance, 6/08/2009 10:03:13 AM, on The Herald

The thought of a value on silence is music to my ears.

Posted by Elaine, 6/08/2009 10:21:22 AM, on The Herald

I join with you in thinking that a move which could result in less noise by way of piped music in such as clubs and pubs and restaurants would be a good thing. Unfortunately the music which is delivered up to us is usually so bloody loud that conversation is impossible. With friends I regularly went to wet the whistle at the Mary Ellen, but we were forced out by the loud 'entertainment', which not only made conversation impossible, but was to us just an unwelcome noise. The other thing that irks me on this topic is the sheer arrogance of the people who select the music in assuming we all love what is being played to us.

Posted by sam, 6/08/2009 10:22:37 AM, on The Herald

I don't quite understand, does someone go around to all cafes and check if they are playing a CD? Sounds stupid, you buy the CD so you can play it. Cafes should just tune in the radio. Does a writer get a commission from second hand book stores if the book is resold. I believe there are paid sites on the net that you can download music, how many times does the artist want to be paid!

Posted by Buell, 6/08/2009 11:03:39 AM, on The Herald

All venues should play "Stranger on the Shore" by Acker Bilk, on an endless loop.

Posted by Backer Ilk, 6/08/2009 11:08:00 AM, on The Herald

You always seem to be out Jeff, work, pubs, on your bike, coffee, rugby league, restaurants, shops and brothels. Yesterday's column may provide the answer as to why, you can't get in the door at home. Leaving you outside to tend the vegies and chooks.

Posted by chaff and oats, 6/08/2009 11:08:50 AM, on The Herald

great news for live artists

Posted by all ears, 6/08/2009 11:20:18 AM, on The Herald

Sam ~ the waitstaff are usually too ignorant to realise that the music is supposed to be for the pleasure of the patrons, not the entertainment of the staff. So many cafes target a demopgraphic of well-to-do, often over 40 people ~ but the floor staff or managers think it's ok to pipe techno or hip hop through the whole place at volume, and they wonder why everyone leaves after one coffee, or there are no tips. Just plain dumb. Bring on the fee-gouge enforced silence, I say.

Posted by Abundance, 6/08/2009 11:32:13 AM, on The Herald

I think the new fees are rediculous. BUT i am happy that finally cafe's will return to the place of a quiet coffee and chat, not a yelling match. BRING IT ON!!!!

Posted by Nafe, 6/08/2009 12:08:47 PM, on The Herald

apparently the music in shops is chosen to make us shop quicker so we get in, shop and then get out. woolworths have short circuited this by introducing self serve checkouts at kotara. i suppose its not too long before the checkout operators hours are cut or eliminated just like with service stations. remember when you just sat in the car while the attendant filled the tank, checked water and oil? a checkout operator told me they might lose some money cause people will get expensive apples etc and ring them up as the cheaper option i.e. get pink ladies but charge them out as whatever the cheapest apple is. i doubt this would come anywhere near the dollars they will save from a reduction in the wages bill. sorry about that jeff - i seem to have wandered off topic.

Posted by senior sergeant smith, 6/08/2009 12:43:27 PM, on The Herald

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