Music Industry "Use It or Lose It" - Foster

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 18th May 2006

Coinciding with the start of Bath's International Music Festival this week, Bath's MP, Don Foster, has put forward proposals to solve a problem which is threatening public enjoyment of Britain's proud musical legacy.

Currently, copyright on music extends for 50 years but many in the industry, such as the BPI and Sir Cliff Richard, have been calling for a blanket extension of sound copyright to 95 years for all recordings which could deny the public greater availability and better protection of our musical heritage.

By securing an Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons yesterday, Don put forward his proposals for "conditional extension," and commented

"Britain has a fantastic musical history that we should be proud of. But the industry's call for a blanket extension of copyright threatens that very legacy.

"Nobody benefits from historical recordings sitting in a basement gathering dust - or even being used as infill for a car park.

"We want to ensure musicians and the music industry continue to thrive while ensuring that music is heard and enjoyed as freely as possible.

"Instead of the Government giving the music industry a free ticket to ride, our proposed "use it or lose it" clause will ensure much more of our rich musical history sees the light of day."