Interesting Twitter thread on vinyl reissues and royalties

[paulfromcamden]

Music business accounting is beyond me but I thought this thread raised some interesting points. It hadn't occurred to me that some reissues are released without any input from the artist - or any royalties paid.

https://twitter.com/davidclowery/status/1548741130476552194

 

[deebster]

Interesting, and might explain why on the Steve Hoffman forum Shane from Intervention Records said he wasn't having much joy getting Lowery to agree to a reissue (I think of Kerosene Hat, though it's a long thread and there might be more in the offing).

Not suggesting IR are trying to do it on the sly - their Matthew Sweet reissues are fantastic, so from a quality perspective at least they seem to be good guys. Reminds me I really don't know how the royalties (and publishing, licensing and probably many other -ings) business works.

 

[kensalriser]

Reissues should be bound by the same contract as original issues, unless the contract has been superseded. Either way, the contract will govern what should happen. If the artist isn't recouped, well, they've already had the money. If they've had no input that means the contract doesn't stipulate approval rights. Of course, some record companies routinely don't observe contractual terms, but in those cases it's up to the artists and their representatives to take appropriate action.

 

[daytona600]

Not paying artists problem for 100years
The reason this is called “mechanical rights ” is because it originates to the time when songs were “mechanically” reproduced in piano rolls and vinyl records. Using the term in the digital age can cause confusion, but the same “reproduction” standard applies.

OBI stickers on japanese records with Price in Yen help ensure artists get fair payment for there art

 

[Tony L]

A lot of the stuff that is reissued is so old most of the artists are either dead or have sold off their catalogue rights. As an example IIRC Bruce Springsteen cashed-in his catalogue recently, so I assume whoever now owns it could reissue it processed through a fuzz box and cut onto cardboard records and he’d have no artistic say in the matter.

PS This is why as a record collector my priority is always the 1st press from country of artist/label origin as this is the issue that most likely has the original artistic intent intact. I’m always skeptical about reissues and would for example take any US RVG cut Blue Note over any later audiophile reissue. The artistic intent is intact.

 

[paulfromcamden]

This is why as a record collector my priority is always the 1st press from country of artist/label origin as this is the issue that most likely has the original artistic intent intact. I’m always skeptical about reissues and would for example take any US RVG cut Blue Note over any later audiophile reissue. The artistic intent is intact.

I really wonder about this. Certainly Rudy's intent when you play vinyl he cut. But how much say did BN artists get on running order, artwork etc? Did they get to sign off masters? My suspicion is they probably didn't - but would love to know.

 

[daytona600]

BN now universal so SFA

 

[paulfromcamden]

BN now universal so SFA

Sure. But how about in 1953?

 

[daytona600]

“He’s about to learn the most important lesson in the music business: don’t trust people in the music business.” Homer Simpson

 

[Tony L]

I really wonder about this. Certainly Rudy's intent when you play vinyl he cut. But how much say did BN artists get on running order, artwork etc? Did they get to sign off masters? My suspicion is they probably didn't - but would love to know.

I suspect it depended on the artist, though the BN package as a whole would have attracted a lot to the label as they knew they’d be paid (even for rehearsal), and have a product with stunning sound and artwork. I love that RVG vinyl sound, just so much presence and drive. So many audiophile reissues sound bland in comparison.

 

[kensalriser]

Not paying artists problem for 100years
The reason this is called “mechanical rights ” is because it originates to the time when songs were “mechanically” reproduced in piano rolls and vinyl records. Using the term in the digital age can cause confusion, but the same “reproduction” standard applies.

OBI stickers on japanese records with Price in Yen help ensure artists get fair payment for there art

This seems a bit confused, I’m not actually sure what you’re trying to say. A mechanical license is typically needed to manufacture or sell sound recordings, but the royalties go to the composers, not the performers.

 

[Graham H]

I really wonder about this. Certainly Rudy's intent when you play vinyl he cut. But how much say did BN artists get on running order, artwork etc? Did they get to sign off masters? My suspicion is they probably didn't - but would love to know.

Regardless of royalties, I’d argue anyone would be hard pushed to find an artist - or band - who are completely happy with any recording with their name on it. Recording music is a multitude of compromises, every step of the way, often limited by time, ability, personality conflicts, and technology - to name just a few limitations from a very long list.