Re: [ARSCLIST] Columbia Harmony was: Met Opera Record Club

["Steven C. Barr(x)" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rod Stephens" <savecal@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> The original 1954 Entré RL 3112 "Sing Noël" release of choral music by
> my University of Redlands (California) choir was reissued on Harmony HL
> 7141 "Choral Christmas" in 1958 with four fewer tracks than in the
> original, and of course, for less money (cheapo re-release).  Along with
> that, there had been two Columbia Masterworks releases of the choir,
> "Hymns and Anthems" ML 4866 in 1954, and "God Be with You" ML 5370 in
> 1959.   The final release by the Columbia organization was the 1963 Epic
> release,  "A Christmas Festival" BC 1271.
>
> We've written CBS/Sony to see what kind of deal was made back then (the
> University doesn't seem to have any paperwork on the contract), since we
> have the original master tapes and would like to remaster the albums for
> fund raising purposes, but no answer as yet.   I would think the fact
> that the tracks had already been issued on private University LPs prior
> to the Columbia commercial issues should have some bearing on it.
> We're still waiting to hear.
>
> Rod Stephens, a '58 grad
>
Actually, the definitive question here would be whether CBS made the
original recordings for their own use, and allowed your school to
release them as a favour...or whether the recordings were made for
your school, as a "client," by CBS.

In the former case, the recordings and copyrights thereof belong to
CBS. In the latter case, those would belong to you (general "you,"
not personal!") by virtue of you having paid for them.

I'll leave it up to the lawyers as to whether you (the school) have
a right to reissue the record you previously issued (and this may
also depend on exact wordings of long-vanished agreements...!)

Steven C. Barr