A MUSIC firm has taken advantage in a lapse in European law to reissue a Beatles classic without the need to pay performance royalties to the band.
Under EU law, the copyright on recorded music in Europe runs out 50 years since it was first released. Although officials in Brussels agreed to extend that to 70 years last year, the law has yet to be rubber stamped.
PristineClassical has already stepped in to make the most of this and is now offering a remastered version of The Beatles 1962 single Love Me Do and its B-side PS I Love You.
Others may also follow suit with the remaining members of the band and their label EMI, which was bought last year by Universal, are unable to take action over it.
However, the label still owns the distribution of the track as part of the Please Please Me album and Greatest Hits 1.
Changes to the law will also mean a so-called 'use it or lose it' clause, which means if artists or labels have not used the recordings in the past 50 years, it will no longer be theirs.
Musicweek.com reports that industry bods are already taking action to stop pre-1963 recordings from falling into the public domain by proving they are still invested in bringing new audiences to that material.
As such Sony put out a very limited 50th anniversary collection box set of Bob Dylan material at the end of last year.
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