Top musicians out of tune with EU royalties plan

By Huw Jones

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - New EU competition rules on the collection of royalties have hit a wrong note with top songwriters such as Bee Gee Robin Gibb, who have threatened to pull their songs off the airwaves if they go ahead.

A draft of the European Union plan obtained by Reuters this month said two dozen royalty collection societies would be given 90 days to terminate their national monopolies.

The societies collect royalties from radio stations and other venues to pass on to composers.

Today, a recording artist in Hamburg can go to the German collecting society to obtain a license to record a Beatles song for use in Germany. No other society operates in the country.

"The European Commission is in danger of taking a decision that will cause irreparable harm to the creation of music across Europe," Gibb said in a letter to Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

"Major rights holders will withdraw their repertoires and either place them with an agency or agencies giving them the return they expect or they will look towards direct licensing themselves," he wrote.

Patrick Doyle, who wrote the music for the Harry Potter films, and French composer Laurent Petitgirard also signed the letter. All three met Commission officials to discuss the plan.

Former Beatle Paul McCartney, Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall, Elton John, France's Charles Aznavour and Benny Andersson of ABBA also oppose the EU plan which has yet to be formally adopted.

"No precise timing has been decided for a decision -- maybe before the end of July," a Commission spokesman said.

The Commission said it wanted to see collecting societies become more efficient so more money was passed on to authors.

The European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA) said competition would create a few big players competing on price and drive down fees for authors.

"It will be no more Mr Nice Guy. If we have to declare war, we will do it. We won't let our passion, our music be destroyed," Petitgirard told a news conference.

"We can play havoc with what radio stations want. If Robin decided to withdraw his catalogue then radio stations can't play it, end of story," ECSA spokesman David Ferguson said.

Authors get the same per minute airtime fee, but competition could see struggling artists losing out to big names, ECSA said.

"We are champions of new young songwriters," Gibb said.

(Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Andrew Dobbie)