It Was 50 Years Ago Today: Recording Copyright Term and the Supply of Music.

This paper investigates the impact of recording copyright expiration on the availability of music by artists popular in the United Kingdom during the 1960s, focusing on three distribution channels: physical rereleases, live concert performances, and digital streaming platforms. The study finds that when recording copyrights expire, there is a substantial increase (approximately 160%–340%) in physical rereleases, driven largely by reissue labels, but a significant decrease (57%–85%) in live performances of those songs by the original artists. In contrast, copyright status does not significantly affect the availability of songs on the digital streaming platform Spotify, likely due to comprehensive catalog licensing agreements that negate the effects of individual copyright expirations. These results highlight that copyright expiry has nuanced and sometimes opposing effects on music availability depending on the distribution channel and platform business model, with implications for copyright policy and the evolving music industry.