Ralph said: I'm rapidly beginning to think that nobody reads what is written here.

At 06.44 on 5 June I wrote: The artists signed a contract standard at the time which didn't (as now) contain a clause by which publishing rights reverted to them if the company was wound up

and a while later, in response to an idiotic challenge to call CM's bluff to release the material: Because as things stand, he is the only one with the legal right to do this. What you are suggesting is piracy. I then clarified the difference between recording and publishing copyright.

At 10.55 on 8 June I wrote: Performing royalties are collected centrally by the PRS and distributed to artists direct in respect of airplay and performance returns. Receipt of cheques in respect of this are usually the first an artist knows of the release of a CD-R of their previously hidden work. I have mentioned this, many times, in previous threads. CM could not withhold these royalties even if they wanted to. Mechanicals are an entirely different matter. A producer proposing to issue (or re-issue) a recording is supposed to obtain a licence from the MCPS and an above-board pressing plant will insist on this before doing the run. Thus the artist will receive royalties according to retail sales. If the release is on CD-R there is clearly no check on sales, though a producer ought in theory, make annual returns to the MCPS. That covers performance and sales.

Seems perfectly clear to me. What's misleading? It's the bleedin' obvious, actually. I wrote all that without a shred of anger for those who can't be arsed to look up a few simple facts themselves, without which they remain in the dark over this issue and spout rubbish.

Ralph went on to explain the Topic advance which vindicated the viability of re-release and how the publishing rights are the main money earner, two different but very important aspects which complete the picture (if you've been following so far).

Clearly not. What we get now is a trivialisation of the Leader/Trailer catalogue and a fatuous comparison with Elektra who can do just one thing better than anybody else: compression.

Still angry. Very.