There are two bills being drafted on Capitol Hill that could have a significant impact on the music industry in the US. Senator Orrin G Hatch of Utah is sponsoring a bill which would give new life to out-of-print recordings by allowing artists to bring them back to market. If it goes through, the bill would mean if labels pass on the right to reissue out-of-print tracks the artist would be given the chance release the work themselves – or to make the tracks available online - providing the relevant label gets its fair share of royalties. Hutch told reporters the bill gives "substantial benefits" for artists. "It ought not threaten the major labels' CD sales since these are out-of-print tracks. The benefits could run to the artists, or to all legitimate [online music] services, including the label-owned services." He also plans to incorporate a provision that allows artists to own their domain names if they leave a label. A Recording Industry Association of America spokesperson said, simply, that "this is not an area appropriate for legislation." The major labels will presumably be more supportive of a second bill being sponsored in the House by Representatives by California’s Howard Berman. His bill would legalise measures such as interdiction, file-blocking, and spoofing that can be used to interfere with peer-to-peer services.
Jul 12, 2002
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1 min read
Bills could change music set-up in US
Two US bills under drafting could reshape the music industry: Senator Orrin G Hatch's bill on out-of-print recordings, and Howard Berman's bill legalising measures against peer-to-peer services.