The Boy Dave (C): Idiot or What?

The Boy Dave (C) shows an alarming lack of knowledge about the music industry here. Such an alarming lack that I do have to wonder who in hell has been briefing him. If anyone, that is:

David Cameron yesterday offered the music industry a unique deal – cut the glorification of materialism, misogyny and guns in hits and the next Conservative government would back an extension of the copyright on sound recordings from the current 50-year period to 70 years.

OK, problem number one. Does anyone really think that the incentive of royalties on sound recordings in 50 years time is going to change the hunger of a band for a hit now? Really? If a bit of materialism, bling, misogyny and shooters is going to get fame, the groupies and the paychecks now, really, does anyone think they won't be used because of an extension of the pension?

Addressing the British Phonographic Industry annual meeting, Mr Cameron said: “Most people think these are all multimillionaires living in some penthouse flat. The reality is that many of these are low-earning session musicians who will be losing a vital pension.”

Which fuckwit provided that information? The whole point, the definition even, of session musicians is that they don't get royalties. Those go to the copyright holder...who will have hired the session musicians to play for the session, on a non-royalty flat fee contract. That's err, why they're called session musicians, see?

Rejecting a report commissioned by Gordon Brown, which said that there was no case for extending copyright, Mr Cameron quoted research which found that the change could boost the music industry by £3.3 billion over the next 50 years.

Which, by definition, is a reduction in consumer surplus of at least the same amount. If the music industry is to gain £3.3 billion then the consumer must lose it: but it goes further than this. We also lose all of the derivative works which will not be created. So in order for the music industry to gain that cash, we have to lose more, possibly much more.

He argued that extending the term would give an “incentive to the music industry to digitise both older and niche repertoire which more people can enjoy at no extra cost”.

Really? What is this "no extra cost"? You're insisting that we'll have to pay for it, asswipe! How is that "no extra cost"?

Sir Cliff Richard, The Who and Sir Paul McCartney backed the campaign to extend the 50-year term, as the first rock’n’roll era recordings begin to fall out of copyright.

Clearly, the absence of 70 year copyrights on their sound recordings limited their desire to record, eh?

Look, please, can someone with access to Team Cameron have a quiet word? This is idiocy, lunacy of the highest order. Iain perhaps? Ed? Boris? Clearly no one understands even the basics of the music business, nor why we grant copyright in the first place.

Come on guys, the Tories are the party that's supposed to understand these things.