Guest. I'm not sure what you are driving at, but your opening sentence is incorrect. I most certainly do believe that artistic value overrides fiscal value. If it were otherwise, what do you think would have happened to the music of Charley Patton or Bessie Smith or to Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Hot Sevens recordings?

In case you're wondering, the record companies junked the masters of these and huge numbers of other recording artists during the 1930s, because they believed they had become financially worthless and therefore not worth keeping.

The only reason we know anything at all about early recorded blues, jazz, country music etc., is because of the tireless efforts of collectors and enthusiasts, who went to enormous lengths to find copies of the original 78s, and then took the trouble to re-release them on LP and CD. And that for reasons of artistic, rather than fiscal value.

JFTR, copyright is an enormous pain in the arse, and the probbaly the sole reason why the Leader LPs have never been reissued. However, I am certainly not prepared to bend the law on this one, and I doubt if anybody else is. That is the reason for the impasse.

Feel free to snigger all you want, but if you've nothing constructive to say, I suggest that you don't say it.