A Foolish Consistency

“Fair play for musicians” sounds like something all fair-minded people should endorse. Like any marketing slogan one, it deserves critical examination. As used in a full-page advertisement in the Financial Times reported on by the Associated Press that I viewed here, “fair play” means extending British copyright protection for sound recordings beyond its current 50-year limit, over the objections of a government-commissioned report recommending maintenance of the status quo. I posted about this topic here. The musicians behind the full page ad urging extension of sound recording copyrights, the musicians not getting a fair shake, include Paul McCartney, U2, and Eric Clapton. Said Andrew Gowers, the author of the report, extending the copyright on sound recordings benefits only “an exceptional few stars, who are already fabulously rich.” The next project for these put-upon souls: a benefit concert for Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.