One-hit wonders often spell long term rewards for record companies, which can make millions of dollars from legacy recordings – as long as they own the rights. That may be about to change. A provision in U.S. copyright law stipulates that songs released after 1978 have “termination rights,” which offer artists the ability to regain ownership of their work after 35 years have passed. With that deadline on the horizon, a battle is looming between artists and labels over song rights. We’re speaking with Kenneth Abdo, vice president of the Lommen Abdo Law Firm, and chair of the entertainment law department there, and Rick Carnes, president of the Songwriters Guild of America. Carnes has written songs featured on over 40 platinum albums.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.