In an effort to recover lost revenues due to piracy and/or illegal file sharing, the music industry is looking to establish a $5 per month surcharge that internet service providers would collect from their users. The concept is a not a novel one: France started collecting fees in 1851 as a way to compensate composers for unauthorized performances of their work in public places. The US adopted the practice in 1914, which now applies to radio airplay, webcasts and live performances.
The ISP surcharge would be used to compensate songwriters, performers, publishers and music labels.
