Government help is required to develop and train for the digital economy, says Magazines Canada
"For example, paid, digital replica editions of print magazines are currently not supported by the program. This is a disincentive to the development of online, paid editions of magazines—available to readers through electronic means. The industry has adopted new standards to define paid, digital magazine copies. These standards should be recognized by the program to further encourage magazines to develop and sell digital editions....
"Giving magazine publishers access to the Canada New Media Fund (CNMF) will greatly increase the potential for successful new digital products. The CNMF recognizes the change in how Canadians create and access media, and will support multi-platform projects. The fund will also encourage the development of experimental, non-linear content and applications. Magazine publishers are already taking action and need support for innovative approaches to digital platforms."
The recommendation were included in Building on Canadian Strengths: Canadian Magazines in the Digital Economy, submitted as part of Ottawa's consultations on a digital economy strategies. [The consultation paper and further information about the process.]
Not surprisingly, most of Magazines Canada's recommendations, though not all, concern funding.
Among the other recommendations were:
- Providing government access to capital through such devices as government-backed loans or conventional tax credits to help invest in digital publishing;
- Augmenting CPF funding for collective, industry-wide training and marketing for digital publishing;
- Maintaining Canadian ownership and control regulations and retaining the current foreign investment and advertising services regulations;
- Holding off on copyright reform until there has been a thorough discussion of implications of the specifics in the proposed legislation.
Labels: digital, web and print
posted by D. B. Scott at
10:13 am
2 Comments:
For the small magazine publishers, I have no problem with this. For the big boys, who have kept writers' rates at the same level for decades and who have bullied us into signing bad contracts, they should receive nothing.
Let them fend for themselves. That's the credo they apply when it comes to everyone else, isn't it?
The transformation of the Canada Magazine Fund into Canada Periodical Fund has in fact hurt small magazines, especially arts/cultural magazines. Something that is sadly not acknowledged in Magazines Canada's submission.
It's a bit disappointing to read in the submission: "The Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) has been designed to provide magazine content creators with the flexibility to strategically manage funds to, for example, reach Canadian and international audiences with home-grown content on multiple digital platforms." The reality is that if you are a small magazine you have no flexibility since you have been totally cut out of the process.
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