New bills allow corporate giants to rip off artists
Musicians want the correct royalties to be paid but the proposed copyright amendments do not provide for this, writes Pri Hollis
Music has been my first and last love. Over the past year the writing, recording, producing and approaching release of my first solo album has been a paramount occupation. At every step, care has been firmly coupled with a dreamer’s reckless prognostications for what the future may bring. The high dues of study, time, creative identity and personal financial investment condense in moving towards the goal of creating original, independent art. But during this challenging journey, the legal processes of the Copyright Amendment Bill have unfolded. SA’s copyright has thus far been regulated by legislation last reviewed comprehensively in 1978. Creative industries welcomed revisions drafted in democratic freedom, the advancement of the digital age and the 2011 Copyright Review Commission’s valuable advice for negotiating this new landscape. However, artists across the board were confused and disappointed by the Copyright Amendment Bill and Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill introduced...
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