International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music - December 2012 [antikvár]

Early Music Copyrights: Did They iViatter for Beethoven and Schumann?'' Staffan Albinsson School of Business, Economics and Law University of Gothenburg Department of Economic History Box 720 40530 GÖTEBORG Sweden E-mail: staffan.albinsson® econhis.gu.se UDC: 78.026 BEETHOVEN, SCHUMANN Original Scientific Paper Izvorni znanstveni rad Received: February 24, 2012 Primljeno: 24. veljace 2012. Accepted: October 12, 2012 Prihvaceno: 12. Iistopada 2012. 1. Introduction This paper explores how music copyrights have influenced the professional circumstances which enabled Ludwig van Beethoven and Robert Schumann to compose the music which is now part of our shared international cultural heritage. Some features of the developments since the time of Schumann are also presented. My general idea is that copyright legislation would not have been introduced and developed if it did not promote the following goals: (1) secure an income for the composer, and later the musician, enabling him/her (2) to fulfil listener demands by releasing high-quality music on the market. The two goals have both an individual and a collective societal purpose. In the language of economics, the ' I am greatly indebted to Prof. Dr Bernhard R. Appel and Dr Nicole Kämpken at ttie Beettioven-Haus Archive in Bonn who, together with Dr Matthias Wendt at the Robert Schumann Forschungsstelle in Düsseldorf, kindly contributed their time and knowledge. Abstract - Résumé The general legal and business conditions pertaining to the music publishing business improved considerably in the 50 years between the 1790s, when Beethoven began his career, and the 1840s, when Schumann experienced his professional peak. The paradigm shift in politics, economics and music which occurred at the end of the eighteenth century made it possible for Schumann to make a living predominantly from what he earned from publishers' fees. Publishers united to participate in the creation of stronger copyright laws. They could depend on legal protection against reprinters and it was thus possible for them to offer higher fees. Keywords: economic history of music copyrights • intellectual property rights • music business • business history 265