Today, success comes earlier and death later; so who said there are only bad news for musicians?
The European Commission has picked up on this change in the industry and demography by proposing to extend copyright protection for music from 50 to 95 years. The key aim is to bridge the income gap that some performers face in older age. This way, Mika will continue netting on his first-ever hit Grace Kelly beyond his 74th birthday and Annie Lennox benefit from the royalties of 'Sweet Dreams' in her 80's.
This year, beloved oldies such as 'Great Balls of Fire' and 'Good Golly Muss Molly' - would enter the public domain - if Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard were Europeans. However, American artists have long benefited from better protection - another reason for Europe trying to catch up. So, will this help maintaining European talent? The United States are still one step ahead: copyright today exceeds the life of the longest surviving author by 70 years - definitely the better deal for your loved ones.
Possibly, this discussion is purely academic because - lets face it - do you really believe that our great grandchildren will swing to Katy Perry's 2008 summer hit 'I kissed a girl' when we can barely remember such gems as Paris Hilton's 2007 debut 'Stars Are Blind'?
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