Long-playing plans for music copyright ownership

PETER RANSCOMBE

POP songs will receive longer protection under new plans to extend copyright laws.

It will mean Beatles classics such as Love Me Do and Please, Please Me, released in 1963, will not automatically lose their copyright in 2013.

The Rolling Stones may also benefit, with songs such as (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction having their copyright extended beyond 2015.

United States copyright law protects songs for 95 years and UK government ministers are reported to be considering a similar length of time for British products.

James Purnell, the minister for creative industries, is expected to announce the plans in a speech this week.

He thinks the extra revenue for record companies will allow them to find new acts and develop their talent.

"Finding talent and artists is expensive," Mr Purnell said. "There is a view that long-term earners are needed so that the record companies can plough money back into unearthing talent.

"Bands like Coldplay will make enough money for their company to discover around 50 or 100 bands."

The move follows an uproar after early Elvis Presley tracks including That's All Right, Mama came out of copyright in Europe at the end of 2004.

Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary, is also planning to set up a music council, to help with cross-industry schemes. The new body would operate along the same lines as the existing film council.

"Bands like Coldplay will make enough money for their company to discover around 50 or 100 bands."

I have discovered at least 20 times that number of "bands/artists" in the past year at sites like Dmusic, Iuma, Garageband, Soundclick, etc.

Dinosaur, lay down and DIE already!

"He thinks the extra revenue for record companies will allow them to find new acts and develop their talent. "

Record labels today are NOT interested in DEVELOPING new talent. All they are interested in is FINDING it and raping it for every dollar they can squeeze, before dumping said talent on its ass.

He doesn't know that the extra revenue just pays for the corporate slugs (officers) that make a paycheck for doing nothing (usually just to tell Toby Keith he has no idea what he's doing and what song should be released as a single) and then get a golden parachute buyout when business sucks and jump to one of the four remaining record labels to start the process all over again.

"Bands like Coldplay will make enough money for their company to discover around 50 or 100 bands."

Money≠ability

"Finding talent and artists is expensive."

Only if your taste is so bad that 90% of the ones you pick are no good.

I'm seeing tens of thousands of artists that you can listen to for free. It's no longer necessary to drive around to every dive bar in the country to find some music worth listening to or hoping a magical Elvis II will just walk into your studio to make you rich and famous.

It should be easier than ever to find new artists. If it's expensive, then you've got a bunch of incompetents doing the looking. Or a few that are vastly overpaid.

One of the reflections of this sort of attitude of lengthening copyright terms is that more and more the music majors aren't developing new artists with any sort of drive like used to be. Radio stations are going back to old classic rock, far less new stuff is hitting the market, and remix of old master tapes reigns supreme. I for one suspect they are using it as a sort of club to beat over the heads of the politicians to encourage them to ever greater copy protections. One can only buy this crap for so long before you have most of it. Long ago I had what I was interested in as far as the music of the time. Coupling that with DRM is there any question that many customers are in open revolt against on line buying and that far less money coming in is the result of this sort of mentality where the accountant has more say over product than the artist over art?

Continuing in this path will also setup another shortfall of income. Those artists now touring are getting older. One by one they will quit touring. Only younger artists will tour and I see nothing that I like for the newer artists. Even the older artists are doing covers of each other. What is there no originality left or is it that majors won't finance new stuff unless it has a proven track record? Either way, more and more there will be a money crunch as it goes now. Can't say I hate the idea either. It isn't that I wish the artist ill, but I do wish the majors and their "little pie in the sky" the same sort of greif they have visited on others.

"Only younger artists will tour and I see nothing that I like for the newer artists. Even the older artists are doing covers of each other. "
Exactly. I'd like to see what the definition of "Classic Rock" is 15 years from now.

"The move follows an uproar after early Elvis Presley tracks including That's All Right, Mama came out of copyright in Europe at the end of 2004. "

Uproar? What uproar?? More total propaganda from major record labels that want to force governments to change copyright law to protect ONLY THEM! The only uproar came from the record label that owned the copyright. The rest of Europe should be jumping for joy at knowing that one of rocks true icon's music is now in the public domain, where it can be cherished and treasured as it should.

"He thinks the extra revenue for record companies will allow them to find new acts and develop their talent.

"Finding talent and artists is expensive," Mr Purnell said. "There is a view that long-term earners are needed so that the record companies can plough money back into unearthing talent.

"Bands like Coldplay will make enough money for their company to discover around 50 or 100 bands." "

HA HA HA LSFMROTMFGAPAOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This man should be drug from his office, tied up and shit on.

"Bands like Coldplay will make enough money for their company to discover around 50 or 100 bands."

All of which will sound just like Coldplay and won't sell well. Technology will be blamed, consumers will be sued, Boycott RIAA will thrive and James Purnell and Tessa Jowell will be scratching their heads wondering why they were not promoted.

Finding talent and artists is expensive," Mr Purnell said.

Well, not if you know where to look, or what to look for, or what your audience wants to hear. Heck, any one of those will cut your overhead significantly.

"Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary, is also planning to set up a music council, to help with cross-industry schemes..."

Sure, that's what we need. More schemes. Like more chargebacks on contracts, and buying some more indy radio stations to put our crap on.
Hey, how about 25 more "American Idol" ripoffs. You know the kind of shows where we find someone, and tell America that they are great, so everyone believes it.

"They *MUST* be good, they are on the radio."

Schemes.
Thier word, not mine.

"LSFMROTMFGAPAOM!!!!"

I have no idea what that means.