Vendors of the "Weekly Package" Can Continue Their Activities, Las Tunas Officials Clarify

Following the regime's publication of a list containing 125 banned economic activities for non-state economic forms, a significant controversy emerged regarding the prohibition of the so-called "weekly package."

The list, published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Cuba No. 78 of 2024, prompted the official Periódico 26 of Las Tunas to consult with specialists from the Municipal Directorate of Labor, asking, "Will the weekly package and Turkish soap operas end?" Although the web portal initially posted the query on its Facebook page, it was later removed. However, Raudel Rodríguez, an official journalist from the provincial Radio Victoria, fully reproduced the text on his social media and added some reflections.

According to the shared text, specialists from the Municipal Directorate of Labor explained that Decree 107 (On activities not authorized for private micro, small, and medium enterprises, non-agricultural cooperatives, and self-employed workers) includes in its Annex 1, Section I, paragraph 62 among the proscribed activities the "Creation of record labels, music publishers, and entities for the commercialization of records and other phonographic supports (5920)."

However, officials pointed out that "the same norm specifies that 'licenses for already approved record vendors' are exempt from this prohibition."

The text shared by the official newspaper clarifies that "so far, self-employed individuals offering the service of copying various audiovisual materials are doing so under the license to operate as record vendors."

Nevertheless, the decree clarifies that "no new licenses for record vendors will be issued," noted Periódico 26.

Journalist Raudel Rodríguez offered a personal consideration on the new decree: "The package remains. What won't be authorized are new licenses for record vendors (in this case, those who record audiovisual materials)."

Controversy Over the "Weekly Package"

Regarding the controversy involving the famous "weekly package," and the original post by Periódico 26, influencer Edmundo Dantés Junior pointed out on Facebook: "The decree clearly states that no new licenses for 'record vendors' will be issued. But it says absolutely nothing about the weekly package."

The profile also added: "So I don't know if they were never going to remove it, and we misunderstood (due to poor wording), or if the journalists didn't eat enough to analyze that they weren't answered the question."

Lastly, he sarcastically remarked: "Who buys music records? Is this 1984?", suggesting the absurdity of the new decree, which seems disconnected from current cultural consumption habits and how content circulates in society.

Moreover, it highlights that the regime seeks to control the distribution of the "weekly package" by limiting the issuance of new licenses.

Last year, ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel stated that the content of the "weekly package" was a "concern," advocating for the introduction of national production stories into it.

"It's not just about phones; there could be more concerns, everything that comes to us through the package, through a movie, and are we going to stop watching movies, are we going to stop using the phone?" he asked in a meeting with Cuban parliamentarians.

In 2018, the regime introduced censorship into this initiative, banning certain TV shows produced in Miami and some news segments, including those from Telemundo and Univision 23. The show TN3, hosted by Cuban presenter Carlos Otero, was also eliminated at that time.