[multi]

I think all certified gold records should go into the public domain. In England, once you get to a certain level, you're taxed at 90%, so Elton & Paul don't end up owning the place. U2 outgrosses Ireland, they could run the place, instead they support it. The point is, it's not that unusual to take a steep increment at the far side of income.

Gold records got that way because the public loved the record, bought it, paid money, we have a stake. We made these hits into what they are today by listening, learning, singing and adopting them into our hearts. People who make gold records will still have a lot going for them, people will still want to make records great so they'll have a chance of going gold.

The original artist can still sell records, perform, whatever, it's just that now others can sample, mashup, add their own stuff to the original whole or bits, play it in bars, record their own versions which might be better or worse, go ahead and try... all for free, without having to ask anyone. Regular folks and aspiring artists of all levels can also burn their own playlists, or the original album playlists, and sell them on streetcorners, not just in NY. We can give a grace period of 5, 10, 15 years before they become public, or at least come under some type of Creative Commons license. Another possibility is to just take all songs written before 1960, or '65 or '70.

The point is to identify good quality songs, the ones that are really integral to our culture, that have already returned substantially to their creators, and free them up completely. It should be a badge of honor to be accepted into the public domain. Making it completely open is the key because of the tendency of those closest to ownership, and thus with the power, to complicate & exploit whatever restrictions are in place in order to skim off more profit. The superior knowledge always gets used against those trying to enter. In this case we are trying to free music up for the public, which has almost no knowledge of complex copyright law. Freeing the music (remember my slogan?... still need to make those T-shirts) would be a huge, exciting, newsworthy event that would invigorate the dying music fanbase.

Those with the master tape can still advertise that fact and charge a premium for it. Quality does degenerate with each copy, so the knockoffs never sound the same and for truly good music, people will pay a few bucks for fidelity. A few thousand of our most basic, classic popular riffs & songs would be like a treasure trove for all these burgeoning new tech savvy artists. You do a complete bye on royalties for the biggest cash infusions to the least productive, leechy aspects of the music business, decimating the most unsavory players, and still preserving rights for people writing songs and recording music.

Artists putting out good music will be unaffected unless they go gold (some 1% of the time), in which case, they can still make lots of money, possibly, if they were smart vis a vis their label. At least that issue will have to be addressed between bands and labels more directly. They still get visibility and leverage which they can use to establish themselves as a brand, an entity. They can parlay that status somehow, if they are smart. The oppotunities are certainly there. As long as they produce good work, they will continue to thrive. Isn't that how it usually goes... work, earn, build something.

from a slightly related p2pnet.net article