I find it hard to believe that they need the money… but the Royal Canadian Mint are nickel and diming East Coast folk artist Dave Gunning over his new CD “No More Pennies”.
Apparently using pictures of pennies is in violation of the Mint’s intellectual property policy. To tell the truth, I took a look at their policy and how it reads is that they charge royalties of images produced BY the Mint, not just any pictures of currency (The CD’s original artwork was designed by Gunning and artist Michael Wrycroft.) However the Mint says the CD Cover violates their policy and want Gunning to pay them $1200 per 2000 CDs he manufactures.
C’mon, seriously, Canada? The country needs the money that bad that they’re going after musicians? You know most musicians have no money, right?
To put it in perspective, they’ve asked Gunning to pay them 60 cents per CD. If he had recorded another artist’s song, he’d have to pay that person EIGHT cents a CD. And people aren’t going to buy the CD based on the pennies on the cover. Seriously, Canada.. I don’t think collecting $1200 from a folk artist is going to get the country out of debt. Give your heads a shake.
Dave Gunning is a multi-award winning folk artist who has opened for the likes of George Canyon.
