ABSTRACT
Copyright and classical music have a symbiotic relationship. To administer copyrights, composers and their publishers rely on collecting societies to license music "users" on their behalf, from live and recorded performance premises and cinemas, to record labels, broadcasters, and, more recently, online entities. For musical copyrights, the work-concept as developed in the early nineteenth century in the context of European classical music remains paradigmatic; it has proved remarkably adaptable to different forms and contexts. The very public debate soon migrated to the pages of industry journal Classical Music, whose editorial observed how 'the Performing Right Society (PRS) has a long history of upsetting its classical members'. Wybor points to new priorities for PRS for Music in improving reporting and responding quickly and effectively to 'new forms of the market simple and effective licensing solutions. Collective licensing will always be necessary for public reception and the majority of live performances, and will maintain bargaining power when negotiating blanket broadcast licenses.
