CanCon? Do not want.
Thanks to the illustrious Michael Geist of the University of Ottawa, Galacticast had a nice shout out in The Montreal Gazette today. As happy as I am that Galacticast was mentioned in a front page article pertaining to Canadian-made web video, I also have to voice my opinion over the concerns raised in the article.
A coalition of arts groups is asking Ottawa to protect the Canadian identity by regulating the Internet, which so far has remained untouched by government oversight in this country.
The group of 18 associations of content creators – most of them from Quebec – says the Internet should be subject to the same rules as TV and radio – that is, it should have more Canadian-made content.
Also, artists should get a cut of the money Internet providers make every time Canadian content is transmitted to homes, said Richard Hardacre, president of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists.
WTF? Who are these whining losers groups and why do they claim to be representing MY opinion as a Canadian content creator? CanCon on television and radio is bad enough, why should I be force-fed more Canadian mediocrity on an international level such as the internet?
And regarding artists getting a cut of the money internet providers make: that’s almost as bad as NBC claiming they have a right to a cut of iPod sales just because they had their content in the iTunes Store. Man, I wish I had thought of that one first. Give me a break.
“We have great deal of faith in the CRTC,” Hardacre said of the federal broadcasting commission. “We’re just asking them to not let this remain the Wild West.”
And what is wrong with the Wild West? From what I understand it was a land of opportunity. A new world where people had the freedom to make their dreams a reality. This is exactly how I feel about the internet. Instead of sitting around waiting for some executive to call us to approve of a script, or going to countless auditions, we’re doing it all on our own and making our dreams come true. What’s wrong with that?
Because the price of creating and distributing content online is so low, Canadian artists shouldn’t need special subsidies as do TV and movies, where costs are massive, Grant noted.
Oh really? And why the hell not? The costs of making tv and movies are only massive because they’ve been given subsidies to let them get to that level. Why not send some of that funding our way so that we can continue to improve our production quality and show influence in our industry on an international level? Wouldn’t that be a great way to promote Canadian content online? Forget forcing sites to feature Canadian content, give us the tools to help build a stronger Canadian new media industry.
“If you want to create something on the Internet, you can go ahead and create it. And if it’s good, the world will beat a path to your door,” [Grant] said. “Taxing it sounds like a great excuse to start a new bureaucracy.”
True. And here is where I ask the question: Must regulation and funding go hand-in-hand?
Many Canadian video shows like Galacticast, Tiki Bar TV, CommandN, etc. have found great success on the international stage, all without the help of forced CanCon guidelines on the internet. I’m sorry that the interest groups from traditional media mentioned above haven’t been successful in the internet, but perhaps if they worked harder to listen to what the audience wants to see, instead of producing content they want the audience to see, they would have better results. [Hint: The internet is different from traditional media... there is a dialogue between the audience and the creator ;)]
And to the CRTC, I implore you to reject this group’s request to spread CanCon to the internet. We are doing just fine on our own, thanks.
Hiya Casey,
This sounds like my cue to jump in. =) As a promoter of, defender of, and ardent supporter of Canadian Content (see http://www.publicbroadcasting.ca for those of you reading along) I agree with you. I fully support Canadian artists and content creators. I think that because of production costs and marketing budgets the older mediums (print, television, radio, film…) require some protection, but I am all for the government keeping it’s hands off the internet as completely as possible.
I think that Canadian artists are getting far more recognition than they used to and, in many cases (such as music for example) are getting more recognition in the US and Europe (um..without Can Con protection) than they are in Canada. This is, in no small measure, because of the Internet.
Besides, I have a better, far less complicated and bureaucratic idea:
http://crp.publicbroadcasting.ca
So..um..see you at podcamp this year?
I will try my best to really make 100% understand of your article. I’m a bit rusty on the organizations of Canada and it’s government.
“And regarding artists getting a cut of the money internet providers make: that’s almost as bad as NBC claiming they have a right to a cut of iPod sales just because they had their content in the iTunes Store. Man, I wish I had thought of that one first. Give me a break.”
I believe you are referring to NBC wanting the price of their content increased. No offense Casey, but NBC has every right to ask for a cut, and increase the price if they so desire. This is probably the only point I disagree with in the entire article.
On the other hand, being spoken for through an organization, is one of the worst feelings. It’s happening all over the place as well. The multiple companies are involved in the RIAA, since they are such a large, (dis-)respected company, are believed to be speaking for all recording artists in the industry, and they are not at all close to it.
The internet has come under scrutiny from all sorts of governments. The ISPs are dictated to that they much be in control of their traffic, and must find a way to fix the rampant piracy.
“Also, artists should get a cut of the money Internet providers make every time Canadian content is transmitted to homes, said Richard Hardacre, president of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists.” That statement is exactly the kind of ignorance that politicians carry with them when they talk about the internet. They have no idea how it works, and that no one really controls traffic. It’s up to the content providers themselves to create a model that people won’t cheat, and will embrace.
The internet is honestly, the key distribution service that people wish to interact with, and if TV, radio, and movies can’t keep up, they will be left behind. People do not like back tracking to old content.
Another well made point, is that Canada shouldn’t be forcing their content, but finding a way to make it better. If it is one thing I have learned growing up, good content will always last. People will not grab a hold of something that isn’t something they really and honestly enjoy.
About NBC as I re-read again (I know, I should have proofread just one more time).
Assuming they increase their price, people will leave it by the way-side just like uninteresting content. It will float to the bottom and sink to the internet sewers.
Casey great blog post. Gives me a little bit of insight into how screwed up canadian media is. A bit worse than the US, which is bad!
As for Alexander, Your so wrong on the NBC point. Read it one more time. Casey isn’t saying that NBC should not get a cut of iTunes NBC content sales, which they do get, and are every right entitled too because it’s their content (NBC’s cut was roughtly 70%). Casey is saying they shouldn’t be asking for a cut from iPod (the player) sales, which is Apples design & product. This issue came about because universal music made a deal with Microsoft to receive $1 USD for every Microsoft zune player sold, and now everybody is looking for the same deal with apple, which apple is not going to do and shouldn’t have too.
-Jeff O’Hara
http://blog.zemote.com
[...] Also, check out Casey McKinnon’s views on the subject to understand an artist/producer’s point of view. (Casey runs the great Galacticast with my former colleague Rudy Jahchan.) [...]
[...] Anti-CanCon Talk at BarCamp Montreal 3 :: 11.02.2007 « Prev:CanCon? Do not want. [...]
[...] Posted by scrawledinwax on November 2nd, 2007 Today, Michael Geist links to responses to a proposed plan to prioritise Canadian content on the internet. Undestandably, Galacticast producer Casey McKinnon – one of Canada’s more famous online personalities – is less than thrilled with the idea, and argues that the internet is”a land of opportunity. A new world where people had the freedom to make their dreams a reality… Instead of sitting around waiting for some executive to call us to approve of a script, or going to countless auditions, we’re doing it all on our own and making our dreams come true.” She suggests that CanCon rules will destroy this spirit, instead subjecting Canadian content to the same sort of mediocrity that plagues the lineup of the CBC. [...]
Just to clarify – when I said “crazy leftists”, I meant me :) Sorry about that!
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[...] The Globe and Mail’s Mathew Ingram was one of the few not to be taken in by the smoke and mirrors. He asks, very reasonably, what the point of a “localized” Canadian site is in the first place. (His remarks remind me a bit of Casey McKinnon’s views on CanCon.) [...]
How could you leave out Pure Pwnage????? Another example of Canadian DIY media genius. I know it was just a slip….
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