July 25, 2007 14:39

The Who singer slams UK copyright laws

Roger Daltrey asks for 'fair reward' for musicians

The Who singer Roger Daltrey has slammed UK copyright laws.

As the law stands, artists' copyright on songs expires 50 years after release, meaning they don’t gain royalties the song generates after this cut-off point. Many musicians other than Daltrey have criticised the law.

Daltrey told BBC News that musicians rely on royalties as many don’t have pensions.

“They are not looking for a handout,” he said, “just fair reward for their creative endeavours.”

The first official recordings Daltrey made with The Who will be 50 years old in 2014.

Bruce Foxton, who used to play bass guitar in The Jam, has also spoken on the issue.

"I've played bass on all The Jam tracks, and all we've been asking is that we can earn royalties from those recordings, assuming people keep buying them," he said. “Now I will be faced with losing all that when the time comes, and at a point when age will seriously limit my other earning opportunities."

Recently David Cameron, leader of the Conservative party, vowed to increase the length of time a song is copyrighted to 70 years if he got in power.

The government plan to undertake a consultation period this autumn before making a decision about whether to change the law.