An Autocratic Approach to Music Copyright?: The potential negative impacts of restrictive rights on a composers legacy – The case of the Zappa Family Trust.

Here is a draft of a paper that I am preparing for publication. It is very long, but would appreciate any comments. If you need a hard copy just let me know.
Since the death of Frank Zappa in 1993, there has been an ongoing legal battle between the Zappa Family Trust (ZFT) and the so [...]

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Rare James Taylor Quartet recording from 1989

I came across this rare JTQ track on You Tube this week which was recorded as part of a BBC session in either 1988 or 1989 (I can’t remember). Four of the tracks from those sessions were released as part of the’ BBC Sessions’ album, but this one and several others disappeared. I originally did [...]

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End of year review

As I am so new to the business of   blogging, I thought it would make sense to make the final entry of the year a review of the 2008 year regarding my various activities. These are not in any specific order, but just as they arrive in my head through the Xmas haziness. Anyway – [...]

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An Autocratic Approach to Music Copyright?:A Frank Zappa case study

I have been aware for a number of years that there has been a legal battle between Gail Zappa, head of the ‘Zappa Family Trust’, and the so called ‘tribute’ bands that are determined to continue performing his music live. As some of you may know, there are numerous Frank Zappa tribute bands on the [...]

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General introductory thoughts

The transition from full time musician to full time academic is a path that many music lecturers have undertaken. Where as 15 years ago I would have considered myself to be a musician – academic, these days I am firmly an academic – musician. However I do feel that past professional experience can give you [...]

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