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Private member's bill to boost performers' rights Print E-mail
Wednesday, 27 February 2008

SNP MP Peter Wishart is today set to launch a Private Members' Bill to extend the duration of copyright applying to performers and any recordings they make. 

Wishart, a former member of bands Runrig and Big Country, said that he wanted equal rights for performers and their sound recordings. While authors and songwriters are currently protected for life plus seventy years for their compositions, performers and their sound recordings only have a fifty year copyright from the year that the recording was released.

Speaking ahead of the launch Wishart said: "I am delighted to bring forward this Private Members Bill and help tackle this unique discrimination against musicians on copyright term.

"While all other creators, artists and writers secure lifetime plus on royalties, musicians still only for get 50 years, this means that many musicians are deprived of vital income in their old age. Let's remember, where fortunes can be made in music, the majority of musicians in the UK live on less than £15,000 a year.

"The creative industries will also soon take over from the financial sector as the most valuable part of our economy. It is therefore important that we make our creative industries competitive and incentivise this important sector, as well as looking after our artists.

Wishart said that his Bill, the Sound Recordings (Copyright Term Extension) and Performers' Rights Bill, was designed to rectify the situation by proposing 95 years for royalty payments for musicians.

He said this was in line with the recommendation made by the European Commission on Term, and that it was supported by almost everyone in the music industry.

"This Bill also has support across all political parties and 37,000 musicians have signed a petition to end this discrimination."
One person has commented on this article.
1. Private member's bill to boost performers' rights
Anonymous, Unregistered
How about a few alternative headlines?

"Private Members' Bill to reduce consumer rights?"

"Private Members' Bill to further restrict the public domain"?

"Private Members' Bill to serve interest of lagre corporations"?

Or how about getting equalirt by reducing the time that songwriters get?
Posted 2008-02-27 15:25:29
The author or administrator has closed this item for comments.


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