Tom Purves – Product Management, Fintech & AI

A new coalition of musicians and songwriters have come out swinging against the music lobby in canada saying “lobbyists for major labels are looking out for their shareholders, and seldom speak for Canadian artists. Legislative proposals that would facilitate lawsuits against our fans or increase the labels’ control over the enjoyment of music are made not in our names, but on behalf of the labels’ foreign parent companies.” The coalition is made up a wide gamut of Canadian artists including big names like Barenaked Ladies and Avril Lavigne through to indie stalwarts Broken Social Scene and *Stars* (further reinforcing my opinion that they are the best band ever)

Find out more on the web site here: http://www.musiccreators.ca/ Be sure also to check out the clip of a very well spoken Steven Page (Barenaked Ladies) on CanadaAM.


So, wow, first MP Sam Bulte is ousted, then actual civilized and progressive conversation about copyright policy occurs at the iSummit industry conference and now this. Is Canada finally turning the corner towards an enlightened perspective on copyright?

Let’s hope the new government in Ottawa is listening.

Update: The coalition will be holding an event on Monday at (the legendary) horseshoe tavern. I don’t know exactly what’ll be happening but I expect many of the artists as well as media will be there. I’ll post again here if I can get more information.

Where: The Horseshoe Tavern,
370 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario
When: Monday, May 1, 2006. 10:30 am – 12 noon
To RSVP, or receive further information about the event, please
contact [email protected].

Update2: Word is the event is supposed to be media-only. So if you were thinking of going down to attend, you may not get in without credentials.

The (really remarkable) Leila pinged me on this. As well as Mark and Sutha and since it’s been spreading. I’m a day late but here it goes.

What are the three things I would like to see happen in my life?:

1. A global government body that is respected, effective, and accountable. Not to mention recent wars and invasions, I think a lot challenge with sustainability and negative side effects globalization can be traced to a failure of international law and governance. It’s too easy for anyone to foist one’s externalities on to other peoples. There’s a point in here too about the inevitably declining relevance of the nation state, and the rise of extra-nationalist tribe, whether they be corporate, eastern standard, or ideological. But I don’t know the answer to that yet. A global public sector that both enabled and held accountable these groups might be a good start though.

   (as an aside, I remember feeling it strange that I was ineligible to vote in the last American presidential election. As a Canadian – and global citizen, clearly I had a stake in the voting outcome of, arguably, the highest office in the world. Heck, for some odd reason, even the Iraqi’s weren’t offered any electoral college votes…)

2. Cures for cancer. The truth is we are getting closer. I’m even young enough that, with luck, should they found the right cures just in time and in the right order, my generation could theoretically live almost indefinitely. Perhaps even long enough to see number 1 come true.
3. Communication at the speed of thought. This one’s more selfish. As a past sufferer of repetitive strain injury I can’t help but wish for a better way to communicate with my machine than these tired arms. To jack in as it were. Sadly though there are enough very good bio/neurological reasons to make this scenario sufficiently unlikely. But think what we could do with it?

Okay, it’s my turn, I’m going to ping Francesca who is in Johannesburg today, Tara who tells me she is starting a church (!), and what the heck, the inimitable Scoble (who I hope might remember me from lift06?) to see if we can draw in a broader audience to this meme.

I believe
they all
will have
something interesting to add.

Tag! you’re it.