Give us your future, suggests BPI

We're happy to confess to confusion. The BPI has been pushing the idea of extending the length of copyright in recordings to 95 years because it would allow poor, starving artists to keep earning from their work into their old age.

Now, though, it turns out the BPI are suggesting that new artists sign away their rights to record companies in exchange for their online sales knowhow.

Does the BPI want artists to own their intellectual property for as long as possible, or... could it be they want the labels to? Hard to accept the BPI could be that cynical, I know, but there you have it.

We actually love the idea that young musicians are being encouraged to sign over their rights in return for the BPI members' skills in online sales. Because the old record companies have proved so adept in managing the shift from physical to digital, haven't they? Paying the BPI companies to manage your digital rights is like getting Napoleon to arrange a package tour to Moscow.

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