my library has blu-ray discs. Does Sony get compensated based on borrowing activity?
4mon 12d ago by slrpnk.net/u/activistPnk in glam@lemmy.cafe
I have avoided BDs up until now because I boycott Sony. I grabbed a blu-ray player dirt cheap on the 2nd-hand market b/c it was missing parts. I scrounged the needed parts so now I can watch BDs.
I obviously will not be buying an BDs since I boycott Sony. But what happens when I borrow a BD from a public library? Has Sony already been fully compensated by the time the disc goes on the shelf? Or does Sony get compensated somehow on a per-borrow basis?
Sony as in producer of the disc or movie distributor? I don't know for sure but I'd think that libraries only pay fees to the distributor (who paid Sony for the discs)?
Sony apparently plays several roles, of which I am not clear. But I think it’s no different for a library than individuals because I dropped off a bunch of DVDs at my library as a donation, and they simply took them to lend out. This implies there is no complex arrangement for libraries.. in which case I suppose Sony’s royalties are fixed and paid when the disc is purchased. So, I’ll not worry about feeding Sony by the mere act of borrowing a blu-ray. Though I will still favor DVDs when available so as to signal to the library a higher demand for DVDs than blu-rays.
I also recall some musicians saying they are okay with the library lending out their music because they want to support the concept of public libraries. It probably would not have even been up for discussion if they were getting any kind of compensation per rental.