Anti-EU law

CONS: “This is extremely good news for record companies and collection agencies, but bad news for artists,” said singer Sandie Shaw, one of the leaders of the Featured Artists Coalition, along with Nick Mason of Pink Floyd and Ed O’Brien. “It means they have 20 more years in servitude to contracts that are no longer appropriate to a digital age.” Shaw said the FAC wanted “the 35-year thing, because record company ownership in perpetuity is immoral.” Said Belgium in its written dissent to the action: “A term extension is not an appropriate measure to improve the situation of the performing artists. It seems that the measure will mainly benefit record producers and not performing artists, will only have a very limited effect for most of the performing artists [and]will have a negative impact on the accessibility of cultural material” for consumers. (9/13a)