Excerptcize

Archive for December, 2009

This is the third in a series of posts highlighting the merits of governement supporting artistic endeavours.  I talked about Canada’s government funded public broadcaster, and more specifically CBC Radio 3 here and about Canadian Content, or CanCon broadcasting rules here.  This post will look at direct subsidies for Canadian art, music in particular.

There are many aspects of the social sphere where it has been decided that to allow ‘pure’ market forces to exert complete control over these areas would lead to undesired consequences. Policing, firefighting, emergency paramedics, K-12 education and health care (as long as you are not in the US) all fall into this category.  Arts and culture do as well.  Canada’s close proximity and interconnectedness to the US, the worlds largest cultural exporter, make this a necessity; if our artists were unsupported by the government, the dynamics of the 300 million strong marketplace to the south would trump our 30 million every time.  Thankfully our government still supports our artists and musicians.  The primary mechanism for directing public funding towards Canadian musicians is the Canadian Music Fund.

The Canadian music industry includes a wide range of creators and entrepreneurs who create, produce and market original and diverse Canadian music. To help the industry meet new challenges, the Government created the Canada Music Fund. The Canada Music Fund (CMF) is the primary tool implementing the three major objectives of the Canadian Sound Recording Policy, which are:

• to enhance Canadians access to a diverse range of Canadian music choices through existing and emerging media;
• to increase the opportunities available for Canadian music artists and entrepreneurs to make a significant and lasting contribution to Canadian cultural expression; and,
• to ensure that Canadian music artists and entrepreneurs have the skills, know-how and tools to succeed in a global and digital environment.

One of the central vehicles for delivering funding is the group FACTOR, a not for profit organization that has “been managing federal funds since the inception of the Sound Recording Development Program in 1986 (now known as the Canada Music Fund Council).”  FACTOR has grown considerably since it’s inception and aides musicians in many facets:

Whether an artist is looking to record a demo, full length sound recording, market and promote an already existing album or showcase and tour domestically and internationally, funding is available. FACTOR supports many facets of the infrastructure which must be in place in order for artists and Canadian labels to progress into the international arena.

FACTOR started out with an annual budget of $200,000 and is currently providing in excess of $14 million annually to support the Canadian music industry.

• I Have a Counterfactual to Something Yglesias Said In passing along some thoughts on the now in theatres film Pirate Radio, Matt Yglesias makes the following observation:It also comes [...] with a strong libertarian, anti-statist message. And of course it’s quite true that...
• Innovation Stiffling Government Aids Groundbreaking Artistry To follow up on an earlier posting that contended that government sponsored initiatives are capable of producing innovation in broadcasting I thought it was also worth highlighting our CanCon radio requirements and the Canadian Music...

• Government Bail-Out Of The Auto Industry - Part 2 About 4 months ago, I protest against the government bail-out of the auto industry. I said they were inefficient operations that were being driven out...
• Ex-Dividend Date and Record Date Explained So you finally want to figure out the exact difference between the ex-dividend date and the record date? If you're a dividend investor, you know...

One of the more depressing aspects of my Monday morning commute is the frequency with which there is going to be some sad news relayed on the 8 o’clock news from over the weekend.  This Monday was no exception as there were 7 separate incidents involving collisions with pedestrians. A 77 year old man was killed in one of these.  Not a great kickoff to National Safe Driving Week.

What was most depressing about this particular report was some of the information that was said to have come from the police.  The causes that were cited in these ‘accidents’ were: weather conditions, pedestrians dark clothing and jaywalking.  Apparently inattentive driving does not factor in.  In Vancouver, weather conditions means that it’s raining; if the road is wet what can the driver do?  Change how they drive?  A novel idea.

The automobile is such an ingrained part of our lives that drivers are barely cognizant that they are controlling a machine weighing several tonnes.  The driver holds others safety in their own hands, not just their own.  This is such a basic notion, yet when I read a published opinion piece a few weeks back whining about BC’s upcoming ban on cell phone use while driving (hands free models will still be allowed) the author was suggesting they should be charged higher insurance premiums and be allowed to keep using their cell phone as they do now.  Clearly there are those not aware that others safety is incumbent on their responsible operation of a vehicle.  Most drivers seem to be rather perturbed with any alteration to their actions that is requested of them; driving how you like is almost viewed as a right.

Despite this, pedestrians who jaywalk are endangering themselves and potentially others.  For whatever reason though, I have a hard time believing this septagenarian and his wife (also injured) were trying to run across the street when they should not have been.

It was nice to read this morning that I was not the only one thinking that pedestrians do not place high enough, or at all, on any given cities priorities.  Bev Ballantyne, co-founder of Putting Pedestrians First, is pushing for a pedestrian task force in Vancouver.  A commitee of this type was nearly approved in 2000, but that morphed into a ‘sidewalk taskforce.’  It has been mostly concerned with dog leash infractions.  This is an issue that effects every resident of the city; we are not all drivers, but we do all transport ourselves through the streets in one fashion or another (be it walking, wheelchair, Segway or some other mode.)  More attention on driver and pedestrian interactions is most welcome.

• Robson Square Rink Reopens Walking through the newly renovated Robson Square early last week, a security guard approached me to ensure that I was not about to jump out onto the not quite completed ice surface and slide across....
• A Mixed Day For Olympic Impressions I strongly believe that judgement on the success of the upcoming Winter Games should be on based upon the actual execution of them, not based upon issues that have arisen at past games. Prior incidents,...

• The Basics of Drilling 5 Buying a Drill: A good basic style electric drill is going to have a 3/8 inch chuck and VSR or variable speed reversing capabilities. Such...
• Tampa Car Insurance Discounts Tampa auto insurance doesn't always come without a price tag but you must carry it if you live in the area and own a vehicle....