BBC upsets record industry with free Beethoven MP3s

[wonderboy2005]

Last month the BBC got some attention for releasing, for free, downloads (just for a period of time) of all nine of Beethoven's symphonies. It was a nice gesture, and probably introduced plenty of people to elements of classical music that they had not experienced before. All of that, you would think, should be applauded by the industry -- as it should only help to drive more interest in the often ignored area of the music world. Not so. GeekNewsCentral points out that classical record label execs are positively livid about such impudence. The head of one label explains: "There is the obvious issue that it is devaluing the perceived value of music. You are also leading the public to think that it is fine to download and own these files for nothing."

Read the complete article (http://www.zeropaid.com/news/5551/BBC+upsets+record+industry+with+free+Beethoven+MP3 s/)

[Sparky9]

to think that it is fine to download and own these files for nothing."
and why not? http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Beethoven%2C%20Ludwi g%22 theyre public domain

[bobhss]

I got all nine of them.

The record industry has to get paid for any notes recorded or played anywhere. Don't sing. If you do you'll have to pay the record industry a part of your earnings. It's over for music everywhere if you don't buy into the machine.

[shawners]

History should be free, even though its modern people performing what was written, im sure beethoven, mozart never recieved a dime from the RECORDING industry. Even though they exist no more, they never recieved anything or sold their work to them.

[the great one]

The recording industries greed never ceases to amaze me.
Actually it doesn't surprise me at all. :icon_scra

[Burd]

Shakespeare's works are available for free over the Internet. So are Hans Christian Andersen's and the Brothers Grimm's. You don't hear the book publishing industry complaining. But they always come up with fresh material...something the music industry seems to lack these days.

[riderx]

and why not? http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Beethoven%2C%20Ludwi g%22 theyre public domain
screw them
its free
btw screw the rIaa once again
dutch is legal for sharing files, they can host it too, and not a damn thing riaa can do
thats enough soup for the riaa for one day
btw on a side note
bt still rocks

[boogiedan]

yes the BBC deserve credit for this
im gonna get some goodies myself
mmmmmm
Long live the BBC

[method]

I thought this was now public domain material.

Classical record labels shouldn't bitch... unless their highest-earner is Beethoven's work... in which case they didn't deserve to profit from his work anyway.

Copyright should have an expiry (until after the artist is dead would be nice but I don't think we'd ever get that.)

[microwiz]

Dang, how come I didn't hear of this while it was available? :(

Oh well, I bet it's lurking out there somewhere.

[Digital Bliss]

This is a step in the right direction no one should have to pay for these master peices they are priceless.

[microwiz]

They're out there... but they're 128kbps mp3 :P

Oh well. If the Beeb put them out that way, I'll give them a listen anyway.

[Signa]

if anyone quotes me here, ill be mad and probably sue you for stealing my intellectual property

[Sparky9]

It's a good thing i only whistle creative commons material while i work.

[Class316]

BBC sucks.

And those songs are public domain so anyone can legally put them up.

[Auggie2k]

Ahh, did the big mean BBC upset the poor little record industry? Boo hoo!

[Signa]

you have gotta feel bad for the record company. i wonder what it feels like to have no soul?

[Siskabush]

um, were any of these music companies formed way back when beethoven created these?

No, didnt think so. Also they are out of the range of the industries' ever expanding copyright protection.

[FriedSpam]

I thought this was now public domain material.

Classical record labels shouldn't bitch... unless their highest-earner is Beethoven's work... in which case they didn't deserve to profit from his work anyway.

Copyright should have an expiry (until after the artist is dead would be nice but I don't think we'd ever get that.)


Copyright does have an expiry, it's the lifetime of the creator plus 70 years (at least in the EU anyway.... in the US I think it's life plus 50? -but i'm not entirely sure). Where a corporation owns the copyright, it's 70 years (maybe 50 in the US????), so feel free to start sharing those early Disney films...

-still too long in my opinion. Should be something like life plus 30 years, but nevermind.


The BBC recordings are not public domain, they retain the Intellectual Property of the recordings so you still have to legally abide by the terms of the licences (or at least the people who downloaded them should do!).