Ron Berry Gives DMW The Inside Scope On Isle Of Man's ISP Music Flat Fee

Authored by Jay Baage on March 17, 2009 - 6:26am.

New York - In this exclusive Interview from DMW's Digital Music Forum East, Ron Berry, Isle of Man's e-Commerce Advisor, details how the government of this little independent island is trying to be a pioneer in a field where many larger nations are struggling, namely finding a way to compensate musicians in a digital age. The basic idea is to charge Internet users a flat fee for access to music online through their Internet Service Provider and then pass that money on to the collection societies, record labels and other interest groups. Will it work? You'll be the judge. Safe to say that it's an interesting experiment.

Poll: Is An ISP Flat Fee A Good Way To Monetize Music In A Digital Age?

Published in DMW Daily, March 17, 2009

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Ron Berry and The Big Lie

Submitted by anonymous (not verified) on March 18, 2009 - 6:55am.

Ron Berry is using an island nation's sovereignty to under-price and stifle the emergence of legitimate music business models. He may say he is helping musicians, but he has no plan for getting the money from the holding account he is establishing out to the musicians. He has not said who will get the ad revenue from his service. If music does generate more traffic, shouldn't the musicians be paid. I hate the way people who simply want to make money off of the work of others try to paint their exploitation as helping artists and encouraging innovation.