Danes consider unlimited P2P downloads
DANISH record and movie distributors, the International Federation of Phonogram and Videogram Producers, have proposed allowing unrestricted downloads of music over peer-to-peer networks, in exchange for an ISP tax.
So far there has been no English language announcement of the proposal but it has been reported here and there.
The Interent tax would appear to be about 16 Euros per punter.
It is not clear if the idea will ever get acceptance from the ISPs, or will even work. However, it does show that in Europe at least the music and video studios have worked out that what ever they are doing is not killing off P2P piracy.
We would not hold your breath as there are a few odd things about this story. The idea of a licence was touted by the executive manager of the ISPI, Jesper Bay in an article with the headline "Pay fixed price for unlimited digital music". However the next day he was quoted as calling for some form of watermarking to defeat pirates. Clearly he is in two minds about the idea.
IFPI chairman Jens Otto Paludan who says a model license will be available in 2008. He claims that the music license to TV channels will be important as access to water. Nothing like a sense of perspective. A bod can only survive a few days without water but can manage several lifetimes without downloading a James Blunt single.
More here. ยต
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Even James Blunt would have to say: 

You're beautiful....

Now gotta go, starting to feel the throes of death coming on since I haven't downloaded any music in like... 4 years. May need a glass of water to...oh wait beer's mostly water so I'm good there!

;-)
if it was $10 a month for all the DRM-free music I can lay my hands on (which can you do already obviously, but I'm hoping they'd release high quality encoded mp3 or mp4s), I'd consider it.
Or not. 

They pay a tax for access to unlimited downloads. This would be no different from any other pay for download service that is similar in scheme. 

Just because you paid them doesn't mean they want you to spread it around to those who don't pay them. Hence watermark..
If this guy is really proposing a tax for everyone that goes on the internet he must be stupid, or money hungry. I personaly don't listen to much music, and I don't think I have downloaded more than 13 songs in my life, none of which I still have. I currently pay about $20/month for my internet access. I am not willing to pay half as much more just to pay music execs for something I don't use.

That would be like forcing everyone that uses the internet to by a CD every 2 months. I am sure this is a lot more CD sales than what they will ever lose to piracy. I don't think I should have to subsidize people illigal activities, or pay for someone greed.
According to the plan, everyone pays for the option for unlimited downloads, whether or not one exercises that option. Surely, that would be a massive windfall for the media industry.

For those who actually download something, they would have to pay again. Why else would there be a need for "watermarking" if all the goods have already been paid for by everyone? Isn't "watermarking" just a euphemism for DRM?
WE Danes already have quite a heavy levy on blanks media(CDR/DVDR/Flash Keys etc) it's know as 'Copydan Afgift'.
They claim it's to leverage copyright infringement, but honestly i doubt anyone has a clear idea where those end up.
The proposed 'tax' for this is mentioned in the original article as somewhere between 50-1000DKK/month (about $10-$190 USD) Which is vague enough that i'd disregard the whole proposal as simple pandering to a niche group of voters in the national elections just announced two days ago.

I would imagine that this proposed scheme would be a sort of extention to this idea.
You can already check out most CDs/DVDs and PC and console games from the local libraries. 
Most CD's are streamable online through the national library website, unfortunately it's infested with some flavour of MS DRM and the quality is of limited appeal.
But still, atleast it's some sort of progress.

I doubt very much that full online access to the IFPI catalogs would become reality without a lot of cumbersome and draconian DRM.
I'd rather they didn't bother in that case, since i like my taxes to go to more worthwhile efforts.
Besides we already have quite decent distribution systems in Bittorrent and Usenet. The best option would be; to pay a tax and get 'carte blanche' for downloading whatever copyrighted material you wanted.

Ahh well i can always dream ;)