You didn't say "copyright holders", you said "artists" in the original, and I said that's almost never the same thing when it comes to the music industry. Artists don't "choose" to sell their copyright; its "standard industry practice" in every contract they will ever be offered. Sell the copyrights to the label eternally or you don't make the album.
Copyright is the sound recording. Publishing right is the lyrics & music. Most RIAA records will assert both. You'll see the circled P right next to the circled C. The amazing thing is how this "standard industry practice" is so entrenched that record labels will assert that on the published CD even when it isn't correct. Many records from Europe on one label, when re-distributed by a different label in America, will have the copyright statement changed to the American label, even though they don't own the rights, having only licensed the distribution rights.
ASCAP is its own nightmare, the largest legal extortion racket in the world. ASCAP may claim that they give 86% of their earnings to the copyright holders, but 14% of 8 BILLION dollars income pays for a LOT of lawyers and lobbyists. Add to that the fact that when it comes to public performance, they collect three times. In the example of a clothing store in a mall that plays a local radio station, ASCAP collects 1) from the radio stations purchase of the CD, which like a rental DVD is more expensive than the store ones that radio stations can't legally play on the air; 2) from the radio station's own broadcast license, and finally 3) from the store itself as the final "public performance" space of that material.
To make matters worse, those collections from stores, restaurants, pubs, stadiums, et al, all placed in the "general fund" don't go to the copyright holders in a fair basis. An Irish pub may have a jukebox with nothing but traditional celtic music in it, but the money ASCAP collects from the pub goes into the general fund which is distributed based on one criteria only : Radio Airplay. All the money collected to "support the artists" of those celtic cds is actually lining the coffers of Britney Spears's record label.
To quote Robert Fripp: "The history of the music industry is a history of exploitation and theft"; Fripp's take on the Albini article: "my problem with this work is that it paints the music industry in too positive a light."
no subject
Copyright is the sound recording. Publishing right is the lyrics & music. Most RIAA records will assert both. You'll see the circled P right next to the circled C. The amazing thing is how this "standard industry practice" is so entrenched that record labels will assert that on the published CD even when it isn't correct. Many records from Europe on one label, when re-distributed by a different label in America, will have the copyright statement changed to the American label, even though they don't own the rights, having only licensed the distribution rights.
ASCAP is its own nightmare, the largest legal extortion racket in the world. ASCAP may claim that they give 86% of their earnings to the copyright holders, but 14% of 8 BILLION dollars income pays for a LOT of lawyers and lobbyists. Add to that the fact that when it comes to public performance, they collect three times. In the example of a clothing store in a mall that plays a local radio station, ASCAP collects 1) from the radio stations purchase of the CD, which like a rental DVD is more expensive than the store ones that radio stations can't legally play on the air; 2) from the radio station's own broadcast license, and finally 3) from the store itself as the final "public performance" space of that material.
To make matters worse, those collections from stores, restaurants, pubs, stadiums, et al, all placed in the "general fund" don't go to the copyright holders in a fair basis. An Irish pub may have a jukebox with nothing but traditional celtic music in it, but the money ASCAP collects from the pub goes into the general fund which is distributed based on one criteria only : Radio Airplay. All the money collected to "support the artists" of those celtic cds is actually lining the coffers of Britney Spears's record label.
Go read http://www.negativland.com/albini.html .
To quote Robert Fripp: "The history of the music industry is a history of exploitation and theft"; Fripp's take on the Albini article: "my problem with this work is that it paints the music industry in too positive a light."