For two and a half years, Apple has been selling songs for 99 cents each in its successful online music store iTunes. As reported by the New York Times, this could soon come to an end. At least two of the four major music companies are now demanding an increase in these prices. They want a more complex pricing model, where current tracks would cost significantly more. In return, lesser-known songs could see a slight decrease in price. Overall, however, revenues from online retailers must increase to help the beleaguered music industry get back on its feet.
The German collecting societies are also singing a similar tune. According to their demands, a fee of 150 euros could soon be imposed on an average PC. Corresponding fees are already charged when purchasing MP3 players, CD and DVD burners, blank media, fax machines, scanners, and copiers, as these devices can fundamentally be used to reproduce copyrighted material. With this burden of fees, Germany is already at the top of Europe and could even strengthen this position if GEMA, GVL, and others prevail.
The German collecting societies are also singing a similar tune. According to their demands, a fee of 150 euros could soon be imposed on an average PC. Corresponding fees are already charged when purchasing MP3 players, CD and DVD burners, blank media, fax machines, scanners, and copiers, as these devices can fundamentally be used to reproduce copyrighted material. With this burden of fees, Germany is already at the top of Europe and could even strengthen this position if GEMA, GVL, and others prevail.
