Re: [ARSCLIST] Vinegar syndrome audio tapes [ARSCLIST] Memorex CDs and more

[Don Cox <doncox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 23/01/06, steven c wrote:

>> Fifty years from the recording date seems plenty to me. Nobody who
>> was working for the record company or playing in the orchestra will
>> be still there after 50 years.
>> 
>> Why should the kids who run Sony-BMG now be receiving money from the
>> work of the Elvis Presley generation?
>> 
> I would suppose, because they can! And they are still making money off
> of Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman (and Caruso?). And it is this money
> that inspires them to spread the pseudo-eternal US copyright as far as
> they possibly can.

They are making money from those artists in healthy competition with
other companies. Every reissue company has a "Best of Glenn Miller" CD,
but BMG can put out the "Platinum Glenn Miller" with better sound
because they have the metal masters as a source for digitising.

Likewise other music recorded before 1955. 

The competition should be to see who can put out the best presented
version, just as it is with editions of Shakespeare or Dickens.

> 
> This is what inspired me to think about my "use it or lose it"
> approach. Sony-BMG can keep a copyright on the Elvis stuff as
> long as they keep selling it...but, meanwhile, why should they
> also keep copyrights on obscure territory bands who cut a
> disc on Bluebird before the AFM ban, which didn't sell and
> thus hasn't been available to anyone but lucky 78 collectors
> since!

I think it would be hard to prove in court that the company had not made
a recording "readily" available.

They will make material "available" in poor quality MP3 files for
expensive download, and then say there is no demand.

Fifty years copyright on recordings and films is the answer. Less for
computer software.

Regards
-- 
Don Cox
doncox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx