TIN PAN ALLEY, Gowers, Wednesday (U! News) — The British Phonographic Institute has called upon the government to increase the copyright term for sound recordings in the UK to 95 years from the present 50, to achieve harmonisation with the United States. In support of this, the BPI placed an advertisement in the Financial Times in December listing forty thousand musicians who support their position — including deceased performers such as Freddie Garrity (died 2006), Lonnie Donegan (died 2002), Jimmy Shand (died 2000) and Chuck Berry (died 1997).
Without an extension of the term to 95 years, these deceased artists are not expected to bother with any further recordings, performances or even songwriting.
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