Copyright is a red herring in my view -

creator's lifetime + 70 years = PD

Joseph Lees did very well out John O'Greenfield - good luck to him - now it's 'ours'. Everyone's a winner.

This 'reluctance', shall we say, to admit new songs into the cannon gives rise to an unforgivable side-effect: nobody bothers to ask the creators about their songs.

A recent thread revealed that some folks didn't know that the 'Dirty Old Town' was Salford. Did anyone ask MacColl about the song? And if not, why not? Too late now, of course. A unique opportunity lost forever.

How much more priceless information has gone to the grave along with the song creators because some people choose to look down the wrong end of their telescope?

We are repeating the mistakes of the past. Shame.