Steven C. Barr wrote:
... the owners of the copyrights of most
sound recordings fall firmly into group I, and are employing the classic
"dog in the manger" attitude toward sound recordings...e.g.
"We own it...you CAN'T reissue it...and we WON'T reissue it because
it doesn't promise enough profit!"
To make things worse, they are apparently trying to extend the US
concept of pseudo-eternal copyright to all known countries
I fall firmly in the first camp yet I don't own even a single copyright!
Massive financial interests lie behind the volumes of press releases promoting this idea that
"copyright," (i.e. individuals having the right to equity in what they create) has become
excessive. This is because they stand to profit handsomely from forcing contemporary "content
providers" into accept lower royalties because they are competing economically with a larger
public domain. Stock values have soared behind the public perception that electronic distributors
will take a dominant position in negotiations for "content" over traditional media.
I'm concerned about this because it's a classic case of killing the goose that laid the golden
egg. Copyright equity is how we in the creative community finance everything we do. Limiting
copyright can only lead to a return to the government or corporate patronage of the 18th century
arts community.
--
Bob Olhsson Audio Mastery, Nashville TN
Mastering, Audio for Picture, Mix Evaluation and Quality Control
Over 40 years making people sound better than they ever imagined!
615.385.8051 http://www.hyperback.com