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Dear potential lawmakers,
Please do not change the laws of Canada until you are certain you understand what is wrong with what we have today. Turn on your radio, attend a summer music festival, browse some Internet blogs that discuss new music. Has there ever been a time in Canadian history when we have had more talented artists making an impact on the Global scene? I'm 48 years old. When I grew up we heard an awful lot of a very few Canadian artists such as Anne Murray and Gordon Lightfoot on our radios.
If there are more artists making more diverse types of music in Canada and they are well supported by appreciative music fans who have more choice than ever before - what is the problem that you are trying to fix?
The music industry is changing, so is everything else (would you want to work at a Newspaper these days?). You are being bombarded by people urgently asking you to change laws in order to prevent some ill-defined bleak future scenario. Carefully consider their motives and the accuracy of similar predictions in the past when cassette tapes became popular or when recordable CD's became affordable.
You are faced with some very complicated issues and some very persuasive stakeholders. Before you act, please ensure you fully understand what is broken and how precisely any new laws will fix it. It is entirely possible that a well intentioned law could end up making things worse for Canadian musicians, fans, and workers in the music industry.
yours truly,
George MacDougall
Peterborough, ON
