TSS_s067p210110.indd
Transcription
TSS_s067p210110.indd
E6-7 Liberal Studies Personal Development & Interpersonal Relationships Globalisation Thursday, January 21, 2010 Energy Technology & the Environment Modern China Hong Kong Today Public Health Liberal Studies ■ Text: Jessica Fan ■ Photos: Sing Tao Daily News S EVERAL music award presentation ceremonies are normally held in January and they always attract strong interest and high TV viewing figures because many singers attend these events. On January 1 this year, Commercial Radio hosted their annual music awards ceremony and TVB broadcast it afterwards. Due to copyright constraints, TVB cut out performances of singers belonging to the four major local music companies in the SAR: EMI Group, Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music. Some TV audiences were furious about this arrangement and even set up Facebook groups to air their discontent. The struggle between TVB and the major labels could be traced to the establishment of the Hong Kong Recording Industry Alliance Limited (HKRIA), which collects copyright fees for its members. This article enables students to: 1. Assess phenomena, trends and impacts in relation to society and culture. 2. Appreciate the views and values of people from different social backgrounds. music programmes than before, and third is that the fee is for unlimited usage of the music all year round. Previously, music copyright issues between TVB and local labels were handled by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). The four music companies used to belong to the IFPI, but they left that organisation to form HKRIA so as to bargain for higher fees with companies such as TVB. Apart from charging copyright fees, HKRIA also collects licence fees from karaoke boxes, bars, shopping malls and others who use it for commercial purposes. They claim this is to protect music, and the organisation said it would pass the money on to music producers and singers. Popular local singers Alex Fong and Stephy Tang belong to EMI Group; Jason Chan and Ekin Cheung are under Sony Music; Kay Tse and Eason Chan are signed to Universal Music; and Fiona Sit and Kahli Fong belong to Warner Music. Four major local music companies formed HKRIA and charged TVB higher copyright fees. This sparked Key ideas off a clash between HKRIA and TVB resulting in many pop singers being cut out of TVB programmes. This has affected different parties, as well as Hong Kong audiences. Analysis Impact on artists and music labels Starting from 2010, HKRIA is charging TVB HK$2.9 million per year, an increase in copyright fees compared to before. THIS issue highlights the confusion of handling music copyright issues in Hong Kong, and the problems created by a TV station monopolising the local market. According to HKRIA, there are three reasons for the increase. The first reason is that the previous amount undervalued the music and artists, the second is that TVB hosts more Harmony and discord Four major local music labels are in a bitter dispute with Television Broadcast Limited (TVB), the TV station with the largest audience share, over the copyright of their music which has raised the public’s concern on copyright issues and music programmes’ quality, writes Jessica Fan. TVB has the highest audience rating in Hong Kong, and its rival Asia Television Limited (ATV) has a relatively smaller number of viewers. That is why music companies go out of their way to please TVB so they can secure air time for their singers’ music videos and give them more opportunities to perform on shows. This copyright conflict worsened relations between the two parties, and so the station cut out the labels’ singers from its music programmes. For the TVB awards presentation on January 16, Eason Chan and Kay Tse did not show up and did not receive any awards. TVB’s decision greatly reduces the exposure of those singers; the ones with new albums on the way or staging concerts in early 2010 will be seriously hit. For example, Hins Cheung will hold a concert in mid-February, and he cannot promote his songs on TVB for the time being. Because TVB uses music produced by the four music labels, it is required to pay copyright fees. The point of contention is on how much TVB should pay. So refusing to pay is not a responsible way to do business, although it takes time for the two parties to negotiate on a suitable amount. Impact on viewers The headquarters of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is in London and there are regional offices Did you know? in Brussels, Hong Kong, Miami and Moscow. Since the IFPI has close relations with Emperor Music, the copyright issue does not affect singers such as Joey Yung. ULTIMATELY, Joe Public is the loser. Programme quality drops if major pop stars are absent. It can show its disapproval by not watching these music programmes. Another more active way is to voice out online. At least 10 Facebook groups have been created to go up against TVB in this dispute. One group gathered more than 6,500 friends and it suggested supporting the four music companies to break TVB’s stranglehold on the local music scene. 1. What is the conflict between TVB and the HKRIA? 2. What is the HKRIA? Critical thinking 3. Why did the four music companies form the organisation? The music companies could therefore be forced to look for new media partners, such as ATV, or put material online. 4. Do you support the actions of the HKRIA? Why? 5. Do you think there should be more free TV channels in Hong Kong? Why? Impact on TVB CUTTING out these singers would help TVB avoid paying large amounts in copyright fees. However this will affect music programmes’ quality resulting in viewers switching over to different channels. Controversial copyright matters THIS issue reflects the tricky nature of handling copyright charges. Hong Kong has made huge efforts in protecting intellectual property rights; however there are many difficulties in implementing a licensing system. Another issue is about the monopoly of TVB. Since the adoption of digital broadcasting, there are now more channels to choose from. Local audiences welcome Cable TV’s proposal of a new free TV channel, and also want ATV to strengthen its competitiveness. Vocabulary furious (adj) 憤怒 discontent (n) 不滿 undervalue (v) 輕視 monopolising (v) 壟斷 secure (v) 確保 contention (n) 爭論 dispute (n) 爭執 stranglehold (n) 壓制