[Music] The music publishing business is essentially and critically connected to music copyright. Its history and development follows closely the history and development of the copyright law itself. The music publishing business largely stems from the copyright code and is fundamentally based on its terms and provisions. It is in essence a commercial objectification of the music copyright, and as such represents a significant aspect and portion of the music industry. The development and advances of music printing in the seventeenth century England gave birth to the music publishing industry that brought music into the homes of the middle classes of the time. Enabling them to perform the compositions they love in their living rooms. Which embedded music further and deeper into the society than ever before. Music printing created the first mass produced commercial product that could be sold and bought on the public market. It created another commercial outlet and additional income flow for the composers and in England, led to the first legislative copyright regulations in history in early eighteenth century. Until this time, the crown granted exclusive printing and publishing privileges called the royal patent for the particular kinds of material to certain individuals. One of the first significant royal patents for music was granted in 1575 by Queen Elizabeth I to her main court composers and musicians Thomas Tallis and William Byrd. In gratefulness for their service, the Queen stipulated in this sweeping patent that Tallis and Byrd were the only individuals that could produce, sell, and trade printed music paper. And the only individuals authorized by the crown to print and publish music of any kind in any language throughout England for the period of twenty one years. Not exactly stimulating for the music publishing trade diversity and competition now is it? As it created a business monopoly vested in two individuals. After the expiration of the Tallis Byrd patent, this tradition of granting royal music printing privileges continued thought with much lesser scope and shorter duration until mid eighteenth century. The scope of the subsequent royal music patents was most often confined to music written by the patented composers or to the particular kind of music. And it was generally limited only to fourteen years. The printing and publishing of regular books at time, not music just regular books, was a different issue. It was regulated separately from music publications until mid to late seventeen hundreds. The exclusive book printing and publishing privileges and powers held since 1557 by the London's Company of Stationers, a book publishing guild, ended in 1695 when the Parliament refused to renew the privilege. And instead started working on the first copyright act. The act named after Queen Anne, the Statute of Anne, was completed by 1709 and was enforced in 1710. It gave to the book authors for the first time in history the exclusive right to printing and publishing of their works. The duration of this first historical copyright was fourteen years with the possibility of renewal for another fourteen years. But how about music? Was printed music a book? Is it protected by the copyright like all the other books? For a few decades after the statute was enacted, it wasn't. Royal privileges still served as the only type of copyright protection for music. But due to a number of music publishing litigations and court decisions regarding this issue, the copyright law was steadily being applied to music publications in the mid to late 1700s. The legal development, which is greatly influenced and boosted the music printing and publishing industry, setting it on a path that led to its today's shape and form. The development of the first copyright law and the growth of the music publishing business throughout this time is the very root and the cause of music creators becoming self sufficient generating their sustaining income in the marketplace and not being exclusively dependent on support and sponsorships by the nobility and upper classes as it was case until this time. It is the composer's declaration of independence. The big bang of the music business universe. The birthplace of the music industry itself. Eighteenth century London became the first center of that universe. With music publishers making their first fortunes and the music buying public creating the first composing superstars. The Germans George Frideric Handel and Johann Christian Bach, the youngest of the J.S. Bach sons, both became independent self sufficient music celebrities in England of the time. And have permanently etched their names into music posterity not only because of the public performances of their works, but also because of the music publishing business they participated in because of all the printing and sales of their music which made their works popular. Not only on the London stages, but in the English homes as well. Handel's first opera hit in London, Rinaldo, was published by John Walsh the leading music publisher of the time, has made such profits for Walsh that Handel wrote him a note saying something along the lines of "how about next time you write an opera and I will publish it." And indeed the historical financial records show that just in that one publication, Walsh made a profit of over 1500 pounds, which is equivalent to 380,000$ in today's value. Now this isn't to say Handel faired much worse financially in his career. To his niece in Germany upon his death, he left an estate of over five million dollars in today's value while John Walsh left an estate of seven and a half million dollars in today's value equivalence. While Handel and Walsh kept enlarging their fortunes during their lives and died with sizable estates, Johann Christian Bach that we mentioned earlier made his fortune in London and lost it all before he died due to risky music business investments and partnerships he made. Warning us today even from the great historical distance that music business is and always has been an alluring but temperamental creature. That we enter its domain on our own risk. And that we should treat it with utmost caution and respect. Which is hopefully why you are in this class today.
