The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #146180   Message #3418479
Posted By: GUEST
12-Oct-12 - 05:20 AM
Thread Name: Bill Leader/Dave Bulmer
Subject: RE: Bill Leader/Dave Bulmer
Is there anything to stop an artist, whose work is held by Celtic Music, recording some or all of the songs again, perhaps with a slightly different arrangement, and have them issued through a different company?

The performing deterioration of the 35-40 years since they were first recorded? Having had, oh I don't know, something like a terrible car crash or having died of cancer. The fact that what people want is the original recordings?

There should simply be a "use it or lose it" law where ownership of recordings is concerned. If a label hasn't made something commercially available (and the law would have to be phrased to avoid getting around it by putting out a few dozen shoddy CDRs) for a long period of time and the recording has passed a certain age, the rights should revert to the artist. Let's say it's 25 years old and hasn't been available for 10, or something like that.

I was reading recently that the Transatlantic and B&C catalogues are now owned by Universal after having been aquired from Castle who went bust. Similar story. The difference is that Universal will license them for re-release but only if totally unrealistic arms and legs are paid. So whilst re-issues of Pentangle or early Steeleye might be viable, you won't be seeing anything like The Young Tradition along any time soon either.