Artist's reward.

The composer, band and singers who delight us with music are entitled to a monetary reward every time that music is played. The Copyright Tribunal is the body empowered to set the rules and collect that money for distribution to them.
A row is developing over the fees to be charged at live music gigs in clubs and pubs.In some cases these bands and artists perform their own compositions, but the evening is usually a medley of popular music - and from the first of August the Copyright Tribunal has decreed that the charge for performing copyright material will increase from seven cents per patron - to a whopping One dollar and five cents.
Few would disagree that the people who originate the music we love are entitled to a reward for their work, but there will be a downside to this fee increase.
Having to charge an extra dollar per patron will cause some clubs and pubs to abandon live music and convert the performance area into an extra gaming venue complete with poker machines.
If this happens, the losers will be the emerging bands and artists striving to make their name in the entertainment world by way of gaining popularity at such live music gigs.
The imposition seems to be heavy handed and a " one size fits all " approach. There is a vast difference between a major concert where an audience numbered in the thousands gathers to hear a world famous artist perform - and a gig featuring a struggling new face performing to a hundred or so.
Maybe the Copyright Tribunal needs to put a floor which retains that seven cents a patron on gigs that attract an audience of only a hundred or so - and thus preserve the talent pool that emerges from such events.
A fable comes to mind - and it concerns killing a goose that laid golden eggs !