Randolph It’s official. In two years’ time, Cliff Richard will have officially outlived himself. Well, the stuff he made in 1958 anyway. That is unless the British government changes copyright law for sound recordings (they’re not even called songs!) to protect the artist for his or her lifetime plus 70 years, much the same as written copyright is protected (such as, I don’t know, the LYRICS of Cliff’s songs?).
He has a point, though. If I write something, it’s protected for my lifetime plus 70 years after my death. If I make a sound recording, set to music, it’s only protected for a maximum of 50 years from the original date.
I vote that the British government should change the law to protect voice artists (why call them singers?) who make sound recordings (they’re not called songs, after all).