TAX ON MUSIC.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVII, Issue 10, 9 December 1926, Page 7

TAX ON MUSIC.

PICTURES THEATRES AFFECTED,

CHARGES ON A SLIDING SCALE.

A new form of music tax, akin to the royalty system, is about to be enforced throughout Australia and New Zealand as it is in the Old Country and Europe, and while it immediately affects such establishments as picture theatres, it is surmised that its operation will also be extended to concert platforms and music and dance halls. A local picture theatre manager, when approached on the matter by a “Standard” reporter this morning, stated that the news, of this levy was by no means unexpected. For some time past, he explained the Australasian Performers’ Rights Association had been taking steps to enforce a tax on music played, as was done by like organisations in other countries. The theatre interests had fought the movement unsuccessfully and shortly the scale of payments, which would be retrospective from September, would be in operation. The gentleman interviewed, explaining the mqdus operandi, stated that the scale of feas was a sliding one based on the capacity of a theatre and the number of nights on which music was played. For instance, for a theatre of 1000 seating capacity the fee would be 25s per 100 seats per annum —£l2 10s for that theatre per year. How the playing of music on isolated occasions was to be governed he did not know.

Theatres would be obliged to send in weekly returns to the New Zealand office of the association setting out the music played, as it was on the frequency with which any piece of music was played that the association based its allocations of the fees to the composer, publishers, or whoever else possessed the performing rights. It was not so much the fee that mattered as the amount of labour involved in sending in the returns. Again, the theatre manager explained, one might advertise that certain music was to be played with a certain picture, only to find at the last moment that the picture would not suit the music selections, which would have to be changed. Due notice of such must be given to the association. Recognising that there might bo a certain amount of justice in the system, it was yet most inconvenient—particularly so if it extended to ordinary concerts and like functions.