Publisher's Synopsis
This report assesses the economic effects of a change from the criterion known as "First Publication" (the issue of sound recordings to the public) to that known as "First Fixation" (the act of making the final master copy or final mix of a sound recording) as the basis of protecting the broadcasting and public performance rights of foreign sound recordings in the UK. The principle effects of this change would be to remove the need for broadcasters and other music users to make payments to record companies in return for playing recordings made in countries which are not signatories to the Rome Convention. The need to pay for the use of recordings made in countries which are signatories would remain.
