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Member, Beacon International Group, Ltd.
Canadian brides and grooms who have their hearts set on hearing a recording of their favorite Celine Dion ditty at their nuptials may have to rethink that decision.
They either will have to pay in advance or face the prospect of wedding crashers who are likely to be a lot less photogenic than Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, who starred in the movie of that name.
According to a report by blogger Jonathan Turley, the Copyright Board of Canada has approved new fees—applicable to all recorded music—to play tunes at large gatherings, including weddings.
For an event with fewer than 100 people, the cost is $9.25 per day, while it increases to $27.76 for a reception of 400 guests. If people cannot resist the urge to dance, though, the fee zooms up to $55.52.
The new fees are retroactive to 2008, and Canada will be dispatching inspectors who will enforce the fines, the blog says.
The industry is seeking to bring in an additional $100 million in new fees by raiding weddings and other events.
As Mr. Turley puts it, it is not clear if there will be a fine if the wedding couple stays in their seats and merely hums a few tunes.
On the other hand, they may simply resign themselves to the situation and take comfort from Ms. Dion’s hit song, “My Heart Will Go On.”
Idaho’s Spokesman-Review newspaper has been taken to court by one of the state’s top Republican leaders, who is seeking the name of an anonymous Internet commenter that she says libeled her via the publication’s website.