Record Companies want music copyright extended to 95 years - Lets stop them

Pa ElGrande

“The extension of the copyright from 50 years to 95 years would benefit all artists,” said Dick Doyle of IRMA. “There are a huge number of non- featured artists playing on albums. For them, it’s the difference between the breadline and a comfortable pension.”

IRMA is compiling a petition that it hopes to launch later this year. “Paul McGuinness has signed U2 up and they’ve been very vocal,” said Doyle. “This is a case of the big boys fighting for the little boys.”

Royalties about to dry up for showband stars
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,2765-2158254,00.html

Irish artists have always known that copyright is 50 years (This is too long IMHO), so why are they claiming its going to affect them now!
This is nothing but policy laundering at its worst and is actually an attempt by the record companies to extend the period under which they can continue to have revenue streams from more popular acts from that period Elvis Presley and The Beatles and even further U2's own nest egg.

“It’s unclear whether we’ll go with the American system or some other. Our intention is to change the period, but we need to work out the economic impact before we decide what the term should be

They speak like this is a foregone conclusion (Its not). No doubt they will also push to have the extreme aspects of the American DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act). There are currently proposal's to extend this further in the United States.

There is an election coming in Ireland so let's get writing and visiting our politicians and campaigning for an increase in our rights as consumers and stop the IFPI's (International Federation of Phonographic Industries) stooges in their tracks.

Your action counts.

Thank you.

Pa ElGrande

The real reason American copyright law is 95 years is because Disney Corporation successfully lobbied the American Congress through the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. Since then the major record corporations (Sony-BMG, Universal, Warner Music, EMI) through their lobby groups like the IFPI, IRMA & BPI have been pushing to have this extended to Europe. It has become a major priority for them as the copyright on recordings by major artists such as Elvis Presley and The Beatles is running out. They still derive a large revenue stream from these acts and will do everything to extend this monopoly.

Does extending copyright to 95 years and beyond benefit the original artist or large entertainment conglomerates?
In Ireland 2002 the life expectancy at birth is 75.1 years for males and 80.3 years for females.
Consider your working life begins at 18, then you will be 113 years old when copyright expires, Only it never will, the corporations will keep extending it until they reach their goal of perpetual copyright.
Fifty years copyright term effectively covers an average workers lifetime in the developed world, there is no reason to extend it beyond this. The term must be reduced to twenty years in order to encourage the production of more quality song and music.

In fact in the USA copyright laws severely limit availability of music and people are actively campaigning to undo the damage to their cultural heritage caused by this. It is also part inspiration behind Professor Lawrence Lessig's book Free Culture and the Free Culture movement.

"short copyright term leaves recordings vulnerable to pirating"

You can't be vulnerable to pirating if the works are no longer copyrighted and the industry and writers of the article are implying it would be illegal to copy the music after the copyright expires. This it not true.

“The extension of the copyright from 50 years to 95 years would benefit all artists,” said Dick Doyle of IRMA. “There are a huge number of non- featured artists playing on albums. For them, it’s the difference between the breadline and a comfortable pension.”

I popped into HMV in Dublin today, looking for Joe Dolan, or any showbands of the 60's. There was none of their music on display.
So lets have some numbers Mr. Doyle, based on current and projected sales how much can members of the showbands of the 60's expect to make?

IRMA is compiling a petition that it hopes to launch later this year. “Paul McGuinness has signed U2 up and they’ve been very vocal,” said Doyle. “This is a case of the big boys fighting for the little boys.”

This has nothing to do with poor staving artists and everything to do with corporate greed and ripoff of the consumer and our national culture.
I will organise a counter to your petition.


Copyright wrongs: we can't let the music industry suits stifle creativity
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1072-1657575,00.html

Not-so-golden oldies
http://www.economist.com/business/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3546014