Supporting CBC and the beautiful things that Canada represents

Private companies are getting mad because Canada supports FREE ARTS... This made me really frustrated, especially after the recent CBC funding cuts. I thought I'd share this on here so I would have a copy of the letter and, who knows, maybe I'll reach someone else randomly and inspire them to stand up for one of the wonderful things about Canada and the culture of Canadians. We can take action by submitting a letter of complaint to the CRTC. At the bottom is the CBC letter to listeners/reader, for more information. Or follow the link.

I sent in my support, everyone else needs to also. CBC is a national treasure, supporting Canadian music and promoting our rich culture and heritage to the world. Saying that CBC is unfairly funded to compete with private companies is like saying that the libraries are unfairly funded to compete with private bookstores.  

http://music.cbc.ca/#/blogs/2012/5/Love-CBC-Music-Make-sure-your-voice-is-heard

 

Here is my comment letter:


To the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission,

I strongly oppose the complaint by Stingray Digital Group Inc. (Application #: 2012-0447-9)

My name is Laura Albrecht; I am 28 and a proud Canadian citizen. I listen to CBC Radio (on the radio) in the morning and evenings. During the day at work I plug my earphones in and listen (online) to whatever is offered via the CBC website. I have come to know and love an incredible variety of Canadian music solely because of my CBC radio access. I have also come to know and love the radio personalities that share this music with me. The accessibility of the music as well as the rich history that is offered with it make this service a unique opportunity for Canadians to share in their cultural musical heritage. This is a service that is inherently different from that offered by private companies, and has long been supported by public interest and funding. I would like to highlight the fact that my commitment to CBC was present before the introduction of the online CBC Music program.

Not only does CBC promote and support predominantly Canadian artists via sharing their music, they also influence the listener’s entertainment purchases towards these Canadian artists: I will pay to see a small (or big) band in concert because I heard them on CBC; I will travel to a music store to purchase a new record because I heard about it on CBC; I will influence my friends and colleagues to support the Canadian arts, because of the passion that comes through to me from the CBC. What I will not choose to do is to pay for a subscription to a private company for the highly profit-controlled selection of the music they offer. There is already a large amount of “mainstream” music available for free from resources such as international radio stations and Youtube.com. CBC offers so much more than just “online music”. I come to CBC because it offers something different and because I believe in supporting my country’s interests.

In the changing environment of media accessibility, it is imperative that CBC remains relevant and available to its listeners. If part of this solution is the CBC Music approach, then we should be applauding the forward thinking efforts, not blocking the way. Part of the beauty of the CBC is that it is freely available to all Canadians and that its focus is to be a service to Canadians. Saying that CBC is unfairly funded to compete with private companies is like saying that the libraries are unfairly funded to compete with private bookstores.

I believe that CBC offers something incredibly unique to Canada. We should be proud that we have such a national treasure and that the tax dollars we spend in this country go towards the support of these resources.

I would like to conclude in saying that any company that opposes the national freedoms and pleasures that we support as Canadians, because of a profit margin, is certainly not going to receive my business.

Sincerely,
Laura Albrecht

From CBC:

CBC Music

music.cbc.ca
 
Dear CBC Music fans…

We want to take this opportunity first of all, to thank you. We launched CBC Music just over 2 months ago, with the goal of better serving the musical needs of Canadians, and the support from both artists and fans has been overwhelming.

We can’t tell you how much we’ve appreciated all of your positive e-mails, tweets, Facebook and blog posts --- it lets us know that all of the hard work that went in to CBC Music has paid off and that you appreciate our efforts to give you the music (and stories behind it) you want, when you want it, on your desktop, laptop, mobile phone and on traditional radio. So thank you.

By now, you’ve probably read some of the stories that have been circulating regarding an application against CBC Music lodged with the CRTC, Canada’s broadcast regulator, by a private company. In their application they allege that CBC Music is somehow harmful to the competitive market for online music services, including their own online subscription service, due to what they claim is a “preferential” rights payment structure and the fact that we receive funding from the government which helps to partially fund our service. Their application asks the CRTC to order CBC to either shut down the CBC Music service or to substantially modify it.

When we look at the specific concerns they raise, there are a few things that we want to clarify, and as we move forward we’d like to ask you to lend your voice to the next step of the CRTC process.
First off, CBC Music does not receive any preferential treatment when we negotiate our rights deals. Just like everyone else, the nature of the services we offer are examined (either by the Copyright Board or the party we are negotiating with) and then rates are set - or negotiated - accordingly.
On the question of whether CBC Music should be “competing” in the same space as private broadcasters, I think it’s safe to say that each one of you knows CBC Music does not exist to compete, it exists to serve; Canadians, musicians and our cultural community.  

We will be submitting a comprehensive response to the CRTC by May 17^th and, that’s where you come in.
We think it’s important that Canadian artists, music labels and the people who use CBC Music every day write to the CRTC and tell them what they think about CBC Music -- whether it be:

1)     The distinctiveness of the service (no other service features such a wide range of editorial content and context along with music);
2)    The importance of CBC Music in showcasing and promoting Canadian artists;
3)    The role we play in the Canadian music ecosystem; and
4)    The benefit of having Canadian music showcased alongside major artists from around the world.
If you are interested in submitting a comment to the CRTC on the Stingray application, you can do so by visiting the following website: https://services.crtc.gc.ca/pub/Intervention/Submission-Soumission.aspx?lang=e&EN=201204479&ET=A#SE0 (follow the steps and click Option 1, Submit an intervention/comment) before May 17^th 2012.

One important thing to note, is that if you are submitting in support of CBC Music, you would be submitting comments in opposition to Stingray’s application (click the word “opposition” that you’ll see on your screen). Also, please ensure that Stingray (rbraide@stingraydigital.com) and CBC (RegulatoryAffairs@cbc.ca) are copied on your submission.

If you have any questions on how to submit a comment, please refer to http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/info_sht/g4.htm on the CRTC website, or contact Raj Shoan in Regulatory Affairs at the CBC at raj.shoan@cbc.ca.
We want to thank you for your ongoing support of CBC and specifically for CBC Music over the last few months, it’s truly meant a lot to each of us and our teams. Lending your voice to this process would be both greatly appreciated by us, and would help further bolster the strong case we’ll be making to the commission.

Sincerely,

Chris, Mark & Steve

Chris Boyce
Executive Director, Radio & Audio at CBC
Mark Steinmetz
Director, Music Programming, CBC Music
Steve Pratt
Director, Digital Music, CBC Music 

posted by Steve Pratt on May 07, 2012