Whether the original masters still exist and are in playable condition isn't really the issue. In many cases people will still have vinyl copies, and I'm sure most people would accept a less than perfect sound quality if it meant the music could be made available. The problem is the publishing rights, which for reasons best known to themselves the Bulmer family apparently neither wish to use themselves nor negotiate licences for others to do so.

I never met Dave Bulmer, but by all accounts he was a respected musician and I'm quite prepared to believe those who did know him who say his interest in the music was genuine. Which makes his attitude all the more baffling.

He had published a series of books of Irish music, which were very valuable sources of material at a time when not much was widely available, and had it not been for the issue of these recordings he would have been remembered for this contribution and would have left a positive legacy. As it is, his legacy is very different, and this issue cannot be ignored. Whether this thread is an appropriate one on which to discuss it is a matter for the mods, but the controversy will continue wherever we discuss it. People, and not just the artists directly affected, are justifiably angry that a huge part of our music's heritage has been lost.