The problem here is four fold. Firstly, music doesn't rot. OK, records and CDs and hard drives rot, but the copyrighted thing doesn't. You take a copy of it so when the hard drive fails, you swap in the other one. Which means, the catalogue is ever growing, and everyone new has more and more to compete against. There's millions of recorded songs. There would have been a lot fewer recorded songs when Cab Calloway was recording Minnie the Moocher in 1931 (still sounds great).
Secondly, and this is something everyone misses. Nothing sounds new because there's no new tech innovation. Nothing had sounded much like Kraftwerk before because no-one had electronic instruments. Nothing sounded like Babooshka by Kate Bush because it used a Fairlight sampler, the original sampler, and it was only invented 2 years earlier. The Human League could compete with earlier pop because it had a different sound. But no-one has that now. This isn't to say there isn't some new music that kids love, but there's no longer that generation gap thing. Kids are more about YouTube, because that's the thing pushing forward.
Thirdly the internet gave everyone all of that music since Cab Calloway, like record shops didn't.
And fourthly, the instruments and production tech got cheaper and cheaper so more and more kids are making music. Fun fact: more children learn to play a musical instrument today than in history. Mostly for fun, but of course, that's even more competition being piled out. People taking a bit of beer money for the odd stream or sale (I know a band that makes about £1K per annum between them).
You could also probably throw in how fashion innovation and social attitudes changing altered music too and that we rather strip mined all of that too.
I am slightly acquainted with Brian le Gassick, leader of the Johannesburg band The Staccatos that wrote "Sloop John B." After all these years he still receives royalties from the Beach Boys hit cover, that enable him to live a comfortable if not luxurious life. Royalties for life aren't such a bad idea.
Approximately, and roughly you understand, there will be something between £50 and £100 every time the B Boys version is played on UK radio. To be split between music publisher, all the songwriters etc. That adds up....
That could be true. There are two sets of royalties. One is "machine" - I think - which goes to the specific performers of a radio play/sale/stream. Something's trying to tell me those last 25 years?
Songwriter royalties are much larger and last 70 years after the death of the songwriter. That is deffo far too long. For the UK used to be 50 years but then the EU harmonised it (not a bad idea, in itself) and as Germany already had 70 then that's what it was harmonised up to. "Imagine" is in copyright for another 25 years yet and "Yesterday" for Paul's future lifespan plus 70 years.
The problem here is four fold. Firstly, music doesn't rot. OK, records and CDs and hard drives rot, but the copyrighted thing doesn't. You take a copy of it so when the hard drive fails, you swap in the other one. Which means, the catalogue is ever growing, and everyone new has more and more to compete against. There's millions of recorded songs. There would have been a lot fewer recorded songs when Cab Calloway was recording Minnie the Moocher in 1931 (still sounds great).
Secondly, and this is something everyone misses. Nothing sounds new because there's no new tech innovation. Nothing had sounded much like Kraftwerk before because no-one had electronic instruments. Nothing sounded like Babooshka by Kate Bush because it used a Fairlight sampler, the original sampler, and it was only invented 2 years earlier. The Human League could compete with earlier pop because it had a different sound. But no-one has that now. This isn't to say there isn't some new music that kids love, but there's no longer that generation gap thing. Kids are more about YouTube, because that's the thing pushing forward.
Thirdly the internet gave everyone all of that music since Cab Calloway, like record shops didn't.
And fourthly, the instruments and production tech got cheaper and cheaper so more and more kids are making music. Fun fact: more children learn to play a musical instrument today than in history. Mostly for fun, but of course, that's even more competition being piled out. People taking a bit of beer money for the odd stream or sale (I know a band that makes about £1K per annum between them).
You could also probably throw in how fashion innovation and social attitudes changing altered music too and that we rather strip mined all of that too.
Maybe also royalties go on too long? I mean why are we still paying Apple (or whoever owns the catalogue) for songs that have been out 50-60 years?
I am slightly acquainted with Brian le Gassick, leader of the Johannesburg band The Staccatos that wrote "Sloop John B." After all these years he still receives royalties from the Beach Boys hit cover, that enable him to live a comfortable if not luxurious life. Royalties for life aren't such a bad idea.
Approximately, and roughly you understand, there will be something between £50 and £100 every time the B Boys version is played on UK radio. To be split between music publisher, all the songwriters etc. That adds up....
That could be true. There are two sets of royalties. One is "machine" - I think - which goes to the specific performers of a radio play/sale/stream. Something's trying to tell me those last 25 years?
Songwriter royalties are much larger and last 70 years after the death of the songwriter. That is deffo far too long. For the UK used to be 50 years but then the EU harmonised it (not a bad idea, in itself) and as Germany already had 70 then that's what it was harmonised up to. "Imagine" is in copyright for another 25 years yet and "Yesterday" for Paul's future lifespan plus 70 years.