Artists set to win European music copyright battle (Reuters)

BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) – Musicians are likely to win longer copyright protection of their work in Europe next week, helping artists and record labels as music revenues decline, and bringing Europe closer into line with the United States.

Artists including Paul McCartney and Cliff Richard have led a years-long campaign to extend music copyright in Europe, as they faced the expiry of the 50-year copyright protection term in their own lifetime.

A European Union official who asked not to be named said on Friday: "Although some countries are opposed, it seems likely an extension of copyright protection to 70 from 50 years will be agreed."

Ministers from EU countries are due to vote on the issue in Brussels on Monday.

The move would provide some extra royalties for record labels including Universal, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and EMI -- which may soon be sold or listed by owner Citigroup.

Global recorded music sales fell 9 percent last year to $15.9 billion as rampant piracy cut into major markets, with 19 of every 20 music tracks downloaded from the Internet illegal, according to industry trade body the IFPI.

The IFPI's Chief Executive Frances Moore said on Friday: "Extending the term of protection to 70 years would narrow the gap between Europe and its international partners and improve the conditions for investment in new talent."

U.S. music copyright lasts for 95 years after recording, while authors of written works and their estates keep the rights to their works for 70 years after their death.

Music companies' back catalogs of older music have increased in value as distribution over the Internet makes them more accessible. Older fans are also more likely to pay for digital music than teenagers.

But music analyst Mark Mulligan told Reuters the music industry would do better to focus its energies on meeting the new challenges of the digital age.

"How wise is it to have invested so much effort into trying to defend the historical assets of the music industry, when the disruption that's being driven by technological chance really demands attention?" he asked.

"There is a risk with much focus and lobbying efforts on trying to protect what's been done in the past," he said.

(Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)

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Rest of Amy Winehouse's European tour in doubt (AP)

LONDON – The video is painful to watch, an artistic train wreck for all to see. The question is what Amy Winehouse is going to do next.

The five-time Grammy Award winner, whose battles with alcohol and drug abuse have long overshadowed her music career, had a very public meltdown on stage Saturday night in Belgrade, the first stop of her European summer concert tour.

The disastrous performance shattered the goal of the troubled singer's comeback tour: A renewed focus on her musical ability, not her substance abuse problems. It also raised serious doubts about whether she is well enough to perform before an audience.

Winehouse was jeered and booed as she stumbled around the stage unable to remember the lyrics to her own songs. At times she could barely stand up. She was not able to carry a tune, appearing disoriented and unaware of her surroundings. At one point she dragged over a backup singer to take the mike and sing.

The crowd at Belgrade's Kalemegdan Park was often unable to decipher even what song Winehouse was performing — a startling problem for a singer who is popular in Serbia. Many of the 20,000 fans walked out in protest, angry that they paid steep ticket prices for such a spectacle.

Serbian media called the concert a "scandal," with the Blic daily labeling it "the worst in the history of Belgrade."

Instead of continuing to Istanbul on Monday and Athens on Wednesday for long-scheduled concerts, Winehouse canceled those concerts and returned to her London home. She is now holding talks that are expected to lead to further cancellations of her 12-date European tour.

Winehouse had turned down payment for the Belgrade fiasco, her publicist in London said. Serbian fans flooded the Internet with demands to get their ticket money back, but her management did not comment on the issue of refunds.

The Belgrade meltdown has raised questions about Winehouse's future viability as a live act.

Winehouse, 27, has been hospitalized twice for injuries suffered after fainting and falling at home, and her father said she has health problems stemming from smoking cigarettes and crack cocaine.

Entertainment industry insiders say that if Winehouse cancels more shows she would have major obstacles getting insured.

Neil Warnock, chief executive of The Agency Group booking agency, said Winehouse and her tour promoters may be entitled to insurance coverage for any cancellations. He said insurance settlements would depend on what previous information was provided to the insurance companies.

"If you fairly disclosed any pre-existing conditions, and what caused the cancellation is a new condition, then the artists and promoters would be covered," he said. "If it's a pre-condition, then it wouldn't be covered, or if it's an undeclared condition that should have been declared, that wouldn't be covered."

He said the legal and financial issues that followed Michael Jackson's sudden death in advance of a series of London performances were based on similar questions.

Warnock said even bands with long histories of substance abuse like the Rolling Stones were traditionally able to meet their contractual obligations and perform at their gigs. He would not speculate directly on Winehouse's future.

The singer's next scheduled concert is July 8 in Bilbao, Spain, but it is likely to be canceled. The tour was to end in Bucharest, Romania, on Aug. 15. The demanding schedule was supposed to be an important test of Winehouse's ability to stand up to the rigors of live performing.

In addition to her stage troubles, her recording career has also been put on hold. There have long been plans for a follow up to her two successful albums — including the breakthrough "Back to Black" released in 2006 — but new material has not been released.

It has been a dramatic fall for Winehouse, whose grasp of pop and soul — along with her trademark beehive hairdo and her raunchy stage act — brought her worldwide fame and substantial sales.

Her first album "Frank," released in 2003, was heavily influenced by contemporary jazz and earned her critical acclaim. "Back to Black" arrived three years later and was an overwhelming success with its unusual fusion of jazz, pop and soul with a heavy debt to the girl groups of the early, pre-Beatles 1960s.

It was edgy as well, with the song "Rehab" dealing with the health issues that were soon to sidetrack her musical career.

"They tried to make me go to rehab," Winehouse sang on the hit. "I said `No, no, no.'"

Winehouse has sought rehab therapy in the past after her widely publicized battles with alcohol and drugs.

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Dusan Stojanovic contributed from Belgrade.

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Ailing Amy Winehouse cancels part of European tour (AP)

By SYLVIA HUI and JOVANA GEC, Associated Press Sylvia Hui And Jovana Gec, Associated Press – 4 mins ago

LONDON – Amy Winehouse canceled part of her European tour on Sunday, a day after the British singer was heavily booed for being late and displaying erratic behavior on stage during a concert in Serbia.

The concert late Saturday in the Serbian capital of Belgrade kicked off what was to be a 12-date tour of Europe. But Winehouse decided to cancel appearances in Istanbul on Monday and in Athens on Wednesday, according to a statement from publicity company Outside Organization.

Her representatives said it would be "worked out as soon as possible" whether she would attend the rest of her European tour. The next scheduled concert date after Athens is July 8 in Bilbao, Spain. The tour was to end in Bucharest, Romania, on Aug. 15.

Winehouse would like to say sorry to fans expecting to see her in Turkey and Greece, but "feels that this is the right thing to do," the statement said.

"Despite feeling sure that she wanted to fulfill these commitments, she has agreed with management that she cannot perform to the best of her ability and will return home," it added.

There was no further explanation for exactly why Winehouse was canceling.

But Winehouse, who has publicly struggled for years with drug and alcohol issues, was jeered as she performed in Belgrade. She arrived almost an hour late before stumbling to the stage and appearing unable to remember the lyrics to her songs. She dropped the microphone, mumbled through her songs and occasionally disappeared, leaving her band to keep on playing.

A video posted on YouTube shows Winehouse wildly staggering around while trying to sing and stopping several times in mid-verse, looking over to her bandmates for help. At one point, she calls over a backup singer to fill in for her.

Serbian media described the concert before 20,000 fans as a "scandal" and a "disaster." The Blic daily said the concert was "the worst in the history of Belgrade."

The crowd at Belgrade's Kalemegdan Park could hardly tell which song Winehouse was singing and responded angrily. Many walked out in disappointment.

"It was horrible," said Ivana Bilic. "She should have canceled the whole thing, rather than appear at all like this."

The Daily Blic posted a clip from the concert on its website, commenting, "Listen if you dare."

Tickets cost about (EURO)40 ($57) — very expensive in the country where average salaries are about (EURO)300 ($428) a month.

Winehouse recently spent a week at a rehab program in London. Her 2006 breakthrough album "Back to Black" won five Grammy Awards, but her music in recent years has been overshadowed by her drug use and run-ins with the law.

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Jovana Gec reported from Belgrade, Serbia.

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