Standards Article

[George Michaelson]

I should perhaps have said my view of royalties stems from a belief that
the inverse applies, because of the traditional high entry cost of publishing
for small numbers: the publisher secures the early profits to recover costs
and (in the case of books) once the matrix is proven viable for re-use the
return to the author on second and future editions was higher, unless the
rights had been sold absolutely.

I believe that until recently, this was the normal case for small independant
authors, and that signing away rights in the music industry was the norm for
black musicians, and songwriters on the cutting edge.

There is also the references in Albert Goldmans book on Elvis to his tendency
to demand co-authoring rights to all songs he performed to ensure he got a
significant slice of the take...

-George
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