GenQ Music

In the last 48 hours, the board of Pride March have faced a crisis involving the use of recorded music. This was caused by the new licensing arrangements of the PPCA, who are one of the organizations governing the public broadcast of music. The other organization is APRA.

In short, Pride March have always paid a license fee of $55.00 to APRA to allow us to use recorded music in the March. We must now also pay a license fee to the PPCA. This fee is calculated at the rate of 14.3 cents per person
attending. Based on the 2007 attendance of 40,000, this amounts to $5,720.00.

Pride March cannot afford this fee, so we decided that there would be NO RECORDED MUSIC PLAYED AS PART OF PRIDE MARCH.

HOWEVER:
Vinyl Pusher have come to our rescue, joining Pride March as a sponsor. They have issued us a license to use recordings from their label, free of charge.

If any music not from the Vinyl Pusher label is used in Pride March, we will still be issued with a bill for over $5000.

THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER.

If you wish to use recorded music in your Pride March entry you MUST comply with the following:
- use ONLY the Vinyl Pusher CD that we will provide.
- accept all responsibility for all fees and charges invoiced to Pride March Victoria Inc by the PPCA in the event that any member of your group uses recorded music from any other label.

Pride March officials, including team leaders and contract security, will have the authority to exclude any group that incorporates recorded music not from Vinyl Pusher.

This is not censorship.

This is about the financial survival of Pride March.

The only other option is to have NO RECORDED MUSIC in Pride March at all.

If you decide not to use recorded music as part of your entry, we fully understand. But if you decide to continue with recorded music, you are accepting the above conditions.

The board of Pride March Victoria have not taken this decision lightly. It has been one of the most difficult and unpleasant decisions we have ever had to make.

For further information:
- go to www.ppca.com.au
- reply to this message
- call me on 0411-236-261

The future of your Pride March is at stake if you ignore this information.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Live. Love. Be.

The 13th Annual Pride March
Sunday 3 February, 2008
Assembly from 3pm.
March commences 5pm.

Pride March is the official Closing Celebration of the 1st Asia Pacific Outgames.

* Come and March with GenQ at Pride March this Sunday - Click here for more info.

Tags: gay, Lesbian, Pride March