Under current UK copyright law, The Who will not earn a single shilling off of some of their earliest recordings after 2014.
The Who's singer, Roger Daltrey, recently expressed frustration to BBC News about the law, which allows for an artist's copyright on a song to expire after 50 years. The Who had their first hit in 1965. Daltrey told BBC News that numerous UK artists had "no pensions and rely on royalties."
Other UK recording artists, such as The Jam's Bruce Foxton, agreed with this sentiment. "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," Foxton told BBC News.
Currently, a number of UK recording artists and labels are pushing to have the copyright's duration extended to 70 years. "They are not asking for a handout, just a fair reward for their creative endeavours," Daltrey said.
There are plans for the UK government to reconsider changing the law this fall, after consulting with the recording industry and the public. In the past few months, Daltrey has become a very outspoken critic. In May, NME reported that he condemned Live Earth for being an ineffective attempt to spread awareness of global warming.
