RT HON MINISTERS, MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

IT’S A GREAT HONOUR TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT SUCH A CRUCIAL & TIMELY ISSUE AFFECTING THE LIVES OF AROUND 40,000 MUSICIANS IN THE UK - OF WHICH I AM BUT ONE

MY NAME IS PHIL PICKETT AND AS A MUSICIAN, HAVE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE PLAYED ON SOME VERY BIG HITS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

SOME, YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ON THE RADIO, ON TELEVISION, IN ADVERTISING - OR AT THE CINEMA. PERHAPS SOME OF THEM ARE EVEN IN YOUR OWN TEENAGE RECORD COLLECTIONS!

I AM ALSO VERY PROUD – ALBEIT IN A SMALL WAY TO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO AN INDUSTRY THAT HAS BROUGHT HUGE INTERNATIONAL PRESTIGE, CULTURAL REPRESENTATION – AND SUBSTANTIAL REVENUE TO THE SHORES OF THESE ISLANDS.

AT THE END OF THIS BRIEF ADDRESS, FROM A HUMBLE MUSICIAN’S POINT OF VIEW, MY AIM IS THAT YOU TOO MIGHT ALSO WISH TO SUPPORT THE PROPOSED NEW LEGISLATION ON COPYRIGHT REFORM AND THE EXTENTION FROM THE PRESENT 50 YEARS TO A MORE UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED - AND ACCEPTABLE, 95 YEAR PERIOD.

NOT JUST BECAUSE IT MAKES LOGICAL SENSE TO BRING THE UK IN LINE WITH THE EU AND THE USA, OR PERHAPS BECAUSE IT OFFERS DIGNITY & SUPPORT TO MANY CREATORS AND MUSICIANS, SOME OF THEM TOWARDS THE END OF THEIR WORKING CAREERS, BUT BECAUSE I AND MANY BELIEVE IT IS SIMPLY, PRACTICALLY AND MORALLY “THE RIGHT THING TO DO”

34 YEARS AGO, IN 1975 - I PLAYED ON A SONG CALLED “A GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE” WHICH BEGAN WITH THE IMMORTAL WORDS:

“I’VE GOT THE MONEY, I’VE GOT THE PLACE

YOU’VE GOT THE FIGURE, YOU’VE GOT THE FACE –

LET’S GET TOGETHER THE TWO OF US OVER A

GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE!”

(FOR SOME OBSCURE REASON – IN OUR TEENAGE ANGST OUR LEAD SINGER PRONOUNCED IT AS “CHAM- POIGNE” ON THE RECORD BUT DON’T ASK ME WHY!)

MY BAND WAS CALLED SAILOR, (STILL IS!) AND ALTHOUGH WE WERE A VERY LONG WAY FROM HAVING THE MONEY WE WERE SINGING ABOUT, BEING ASSOCIATED WITH SUCH A HUGE HIT WAS A GREAT THRILL & BOOST FOR A YOUNG MUSICIAN STARTING OUT IN WHAT IS STILL A VERY TOUGH BUSINESS

TO THIS DAY APART FROM MY PHONOGRAPHIC PERFORMANCE PAYMENT – A MINISCULE PROVISION THAT THE BBC, I-TUNES OR OTHER USERS ARE OBLIGED TO FORWARD TO THE COPYRIGHT SHARERS – AS A MUSICIAN I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED ONE PENNY IN ROYALTIES OR FURTHER EARNINGS FROM ‘CHAMPAGNE’ IN SPITE OF THE MILLIONS IT HAS EARNED

NOT, I HASTEN TO ADD, BECAUSE OF ANY CHICANERY – ALTHOUGH MANY RECORD DEALS AT THE TIME WOULD ALMOST BE SEEN AS CRIMINAL OFFENSES IN TODAY’S ENVIRONMENT.

FOR EXAMPLE, SAILOR WERE PAID ON ONLY 3% OF THE WHOLESALE PRICE OF THE RECORD – NOT ONLY TO BE SHARED BETWEEN THE 4 GUYS IN THE BAND, BUT ONLY AFTER PAYING OFF ALL OF THE SUBSTANTIAL RECORDING, PROMOTIONAL AND TOURING COSTS….OH, AND PROBABLY JUST A LIMO RIDE HOME AFTER SOME WILD GLAM ROCK PARTIES!!

WE NEVER SAW WHERE THE OTHER 97% WENT – BUT IT WAS ALL ENTIRELY LEGAL APPARENTLY!

AS BO DIDLY FAMOUSLY ANSWERED WHEN ASKED ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY HE’D MADE IN A 50-YEAR CAREER;

“ OH, PROBABLY ‘BOUT TEN MILLION DOLLARS….AIN’T NEVER SEEN ANY OF IT THOUGH!”

BUT EVEN HAD I BEEN JUST A SESSION PLAYER, AS ON THE MANY OTHER RECORDS I PLAYED ON, SUCH AS “KARMA CHAMELEON” “SUGAR SUGAR” AND “CHURCH OF THE POISON MIND” I WOULD HAVE CONSIDERED MYSELF EXTREMELY LUCKY TO HAVE RECEIVED A FEE, PROBABLY SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER THE EVENT OF AROUND £25, POSSIBLY JUST ENOUGH TO BUY ANOTHER RIDICULOUS PAIR OF ‘FASHIONABLE’ TROUSERS OR ONE OF THOSE JACKETS WITH VERY DODGY SHOULDER PADS, SO ‘DE RIGEUR’ AT THE TIME!

“CHAMPAGNE” BECAME NUMBER 1 IN MANY COUNTRIES AND GENERATED MILLIONS FOR THE RECORD LABEL, CBS /EPIC RECORDS, THE PUBLISHERS, WARNER CHAPPELL AND - AM PROUD TO SAY, THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER AT THAT TIME, DENNIS HEALEY

FAST-FORWARD TO 2007 HOWEVER – 33 YEARS AFTER ‘CHAMPAGNE’S RELEASE, OUR ORIGINAL RECORDING WAS STILL CONSIDERED CATCHY, ENERGETIC AND FRESH ENOUGH TO BE USED AS THE SOUNDTRACK FOR A SERIES OF ADS IN AN ATTEMPT TO REVITALIZE THE THEN AILING FORTUNES OF RETAIL GIANTS, MARKS AND SPENCERS – AND WHICH, TOE-TAPPING TO OUR HARMONIES, SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST GORGEOUS SUPERMODELS TOOK M&S RIGHT BACK TO THE TOP OF THE CHARTS AND A COMPLETELY NEW SUCCESS STORY!

EVERYONE BENEFITED, M&S OF COURSE. THE ADVERTISING AGENCY, THE RECORD LABEL – THE PUBLISHERS AND THE TV COMPANY, ALL TO THE TUNE OF LITERALLY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF POUNDS. AND GOOD LUCK TO THEM.

BUT IS IT NOT FAIR THAT THE MUSICIANS AND SINGERS WITH THEIR HARD-WON CRAFTMANSHIP AND ABILITIES SHOULD ALSO GO ON SHARING IN THIS POT, ALBEIT A VERY MODEST – BUT ONGOING SHARE IN THEIR COPYRIGHT AND NOT JUST TO CUT THEM OFF IN THEIR PRIME?

I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE PHIL COLLINSES HERE, OR THE RONNIE WOODS, OR THOSE WHO LIVE ON THE TOP OF SWISS MOUNTAINS WITH EVER YOUNGER & MORE BEAUTIFUL CONSORTS!! THEY’RE DOING JUST FINE THANKS!

SERIOUSLY, I’M TALKING ABOUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF WORKING MUSICIANS, MOST OF WHOM ARE MOVING TOWARDS, OR ALREADY IN RETIREMENT AND WHO LIVE ON OR BELOW THE BREAD LINE.

THEIR SHARE OF COPYRIGHT ON THE WORKS THEY HELPED CREATE IN MANY CASES WILL ONLY BRING THEM UP TO A LEVEL MANY WOULD CONSIDER BARELY ADEQUATE. TO BE MORE EXACT, THE MOST WE ARE TALKING HERE IS BETWEEN ABOUT £1500 AND £5000 A YEAR TOPS.

NO ONE FOR INSTANCE, TOLD RAF RAVENSCROFT HOW TO FASHION THAT UNFORGETABLE SAX LINE ON “BAKER STREET” – THE SOARING AND BEAUTIFUL EXPRESSION OF THE JOY OF SIMPLY BEING YOUNG AND ALIVE IN THAT INCREDIBLY HOT SUMMER OF ‘76.

A LIFETIME OF PREVIOUS DEDICATION TO LEARNING HIS ART – PERHAPS AT THE EXPENSE OF “DOING SOMETHING SENSIBLE” – LIKE BEING A SOLICITOR OR BANK MANAGER (ON SECOND THOUGHTS!!!) MEANT THAT HE JUST SIMPLY PLAYED IT.

THESE PERFORMANCES ARE NOT JUST STITCHED IN TIME TO WHEN THEY WERE FIRST PRODUCED & RELEASED – THE BEST OF THEM OFTEN GO ON BEING BIG BUSINESS AND ARE ENJOYED BY THE PUBLIC AND EARNING VAST SUMS FOR DECADES

WHY FOR INSTANCE IS IT ACCEPTED IN PRESENT COPYRIGHT LAW THAT EVEN THE ANCILLARY ALBUM COVER DESIGNERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, WRITERS AND ALL MANNER OF OTHER COPYRIGHT CREATIVES SHOULD DIRECTLY PARTICIPATE IN ROYALTIES BASED ON THE WORKS OF MUSICIANS FOR UP TO 95 YEARS – BUT THAT IN THE CASE OF THE VERY MUSICAL PERFORMERS THEMSELVES, IT CEASES TO BE PAYABLE AFTER ONLY 50 YEARS?

THIS COMES AT THE VERY TIME IN MANY MUSICAL CAREERS WHEN THE NEED INCOME IS THE HIGHEST, OFFERING THE DIGNITY IN ADVANCING YEARS TO STAY OUT OF THE ARMS OF THE STATE.

THEREFORE I FEEL THAT NOW IS THE TIME TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, WHICH ESPECIALLY FOR A UK GOVERNMENT IS PERHAPS BUT A CURIOUS ANOMALY, AND TO IMPLORE THE UK GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT THE PROPOSAL TO EXTEND THE COPYRIGHT TERM FOR MUSICIANS AND PRODUCERS FROM THE PRESENT 50 YEARS TO 95 YEARS

THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF ALL UK MUSICIANS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF THIS PROPOSAL.

PHIL PICKETT FEBRUARY 2, 2009