INTRODUCE
Music royalties are money paid to artists every time their songs are used by others. In recent years, there has been a debate about what kind of use requires royalties to be paid.
PRESENT
STEP A EXPRESSIONS
Go over the first two expressions with your tutor and answer the questions. Then, guess the meaning of the third expression based on the clues provided.
1. If something has the potential to lead to more and more problems, then it’s a slippery slope.
If you stop going to the gym, you’ll just sit at home. That might cause you to start snacking again, and then you’ll gain back all the weight you lost! It’s a slippery slope.
Q: Have you ever been in a situation that became a slippery slope?
2. To comply with something means to follow what you have been ordered to do.
She was fired because she didn’t comply with the company’s attendance policy.
Q: Do you always comply with your company or school’s attendance policy?
3. .
Some hotels nickel and dime guests by charging extra fees for toiletries used during their stay.
Q: What do you think nickel and dime someone means?
STEP B SPEAK YOUR MIND
Sometimes you want to say that you’re completely okay with something that other people disagree with.
People shouldn’t take pictures during concerts! They should just watch and enjoy the band.
I see nothing wrong with taking pictures. It’s one way to document great experiences!
UNDERSTAND
READING
This is a blog post about music royalties.
Ayumi Hirano
In my previous post, I talked about how my husband and I were looking for a good music school for our two kids. We eventually chose Tempo Music School because it fits our budget. The kids have been going there for three weeks now and everything was going well—or so I thought.
Yesterday, my husband and I went to a parent-teacher conference at Tempo. The teacher told us that the Society for Musicians’ Rights (SMR) has decided to charge royalties to music schools that use their music. Unfortunately, some of the songs that Tempo uses in their lessons are SMR’s property. From next month, Tempo will have to comply with the new guidelines and start paying royalties.
And what does it mean for parents like me? It means that we’re going to have to pay higher school fees! Tempo told us not to worry because the increase wouldn’t be that high, but even so, I’m angry. I think SMR is a greedy agency that just wants to nickel and dime music schools and, of course, us parents!
If they charge for teaching their songs during music lessons, then what’s next? Charging people they hear whistling their music on the street? Charging people who listen to the music a little too loudly on the train so others can hear it? It’s a slippery slope!
Comments:
@MikeDavid Honestly, I see nothing wrong with SMR charging royalties. They’re just protecting musicians who earn money through their music.
@SaraMay SMR are being pigs for charging royalties for this. You already bought the sheet music, and now they want you to buy the rights so someone can teach your kid how to play it? No way!
TRIVIA
In many Western countries, greedy people are often called pigs because their habits are seen as similar to how pigs eat—dirty and excessive. In the Philippines, people like this are called crocodiles because they’re wild and cruel—just like how crocodiles act when they hunt for and eat their prey.
PRACTICE
Rephrase the sentences using the expressions in the box. Some expressions may be used more than once, and the form of some expressions may need to be changed.
- I always follow my landlord’s rules because I don’t want to get kicked out of my apartment.
- I know you want to be polite, but be careful about always saying yes at work. If you do, people will ask you for more and more favors, and they might start to really take advantage of you. It’s just going to create more problems for you.
- My phone company charges me so many extra little fees every month! It’s so annoying.
- They didn’t follow the building codes, so now they have to pay a penalty.
- Seriously, an extra dollar for cream cheese? Fifty cents for ice in your drink? Making your customers pay for every little thing is no way to run a business.
CHALLENGE
Challenge 1
Your favorite singer, Tyler Price, just released a new album, but he’s refusing to stream it on Lissen, a popular music streaming service that you use. Read a blog post about the conflict between Tyler Price and Lissen. Then, talk to your friend about it.
Today's Expressions
- a slippery slope
- comply with something
- nickel and dime someone
Speak Your Mind
- I see nothing wrong with…
Why Lissen is the best thing that ever happened to music
Justin Finch
Let me start by saying that I love Tyler Price. Who doesn’t? He’s the world’s biggest pop star right now. He’s also nice to his fans and clearly quite talented. I want to give him my full support, but unfortunately, I just can’t take his side in his recent fight with Lissen.
Recently, Tyler decided not to stream his latest album on Lissen because he said the company isn’t paying enough royalties. In an interview, he said that the situation was a slippery slope. “If things don’t change, people might think it’s okay to not fairly compensate artists for the music they make. If they can’t make money from their work, many might end up quitting the industry entirely.”
Tyler warned that if Lissen didn’t agree to increase royalties, he’d completely remove all his albums from the streaming site. If he does so, only BeatBase will be able to stream them.
I love Tyler, but I just don’t agree with him on this. First off, it’s great that BeatBase pays him more, but they pull that money from their customers by charging them for every little thing. Secondly, in the year that I’ve been using Lissen, I’ve discovered so many awesome new artists. I wanted to support them, so I bought their albums and went to their concerts. Last year, I think I spent about $400 on CDs, mp3s, and concert tickets. Before Lissen? I don’t think I even spent $50 a year on those things. Lissen may not be paying enough royalties, but it’s certainly putting money in the artists’ pockets!
Challenge 2
What do you think? What does your tutor think? Discuss.
If TimeAllows
1 ROYALTIES |
2 NICKEL AND DIMING PEOPLE |
|---|---|
|
1 ROYALTIES
|
2NICKEL AND DIMING PEOPLE
|
FEEDBACK
I can read and understand a blog post about music royalties.
LESSON GOAL ACHIEVEMENT
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4
Very GoodCould complete the task with ease
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3
GoodCould complete the task with some clarifications
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2
FairCould complete the task with additional instructions
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1
PoorCould somehow complete the task with difficulty
PERSONALIZED FEEDBACK
- RANGE
the ability to use a wide variety of vocabulary - ACCURACY
the ability to speak correctly - FLUENCY
the ability to speak smoothly without pauses or fillers - INTERACTION
the ability to manage a conversation
