As part of an annual tradition, experienced artistes discreetly release unsanctioned-quality recordings in the final days of each year. This practice aims to safeguard their copyrights, driven by a somewhat ambiguous European Union regulation dictating that artistes must officially release sound recordings within 50 years of their creation, following a "use it or lose it" principle. Failure to do so results in the recordings entering the public domain, allowing anyone to legally release them without compensating the creators.
As part of an annual tradition, experienced artistes discreetly release unsanctioned-quality recordings in the final days of each year. This practice aims to safeguard their copyrights, driven by a somewhat ambiguous European Union regulation dictating that artistes must officially release sound recordings within 50 years of their creation, following a "use it or lose it" principle. Failure to do so results in the recordings entering the public domain, allowing anyone to legally release them without compensating the creators.
