Even though 5% of Canadian satellite-radio revenue will go to develop Canadian talent, and an exciting new technology will profile Canadian artists, Canada's music industry is troubled by the CRTC's decision to license three service providers because the regulator failed to stipulate that security measures must be used to ensure consumers don't steal music. The Canadian Recording Industry Association wants satellite-radio services to adopt content protection so digital signals can't be downloaded and shared through P2P networks. It calls the CRTC's decision "short-sighted. That's a strange comment because you could easily argue the music industry has been short-sighted about the Internet and its inability to capitalize on the digital distribution opportunity. It's been six years since Sean Fanning warned the music industry the Internet was going to change everything. Say what you want about the success of iTunes but the music industry has a long way to go before makes online music services a natural option.
For more comment on the satellite decision and the Canadian music industry, check out Michael Geist's blog.