Next time you are annoyed by the music in a restuarant in Finland think what it costs to have that annoying music…
Teosto (the Finnish RIAA) has independently decided to raise prices for restaurants playing music to their customers. The raise is pretty significant as for a restaurant for 800 customers open 5 days a week the price for to pay for Teosto rises from 4000â?¬ a year to 40 000â?¬ a year (HS). A 10-fold increase – thatâ??s ridiculous. (from Antti Vilpponen)
Meanwhile in Sweden the Swedish version of RIAA (called STIM) is busy informing hairdressers that they have to pay 115 â?¬ per year (+ 6% vat) if they want to play music while they work.
Considering the Finnish amounts and the way the restaurant businesses tend to complain I am amazed that the restuarant industry doesnt download Creative Commons licensed music to avoid Teosto. Actually I am pretty surprised that the Swedish hairdressers dont do the same thing.