Needle time: Difference between revisions

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'''Needle time''' was created in the [[United Kingdom]] by the [[Musicians' Union (UK)|Musicians' Union]] and [[Phonographic Performance Limited]], in order to restrict the amount of recorded music that could be transmitted by [[Britishthe Broadcasting Corporation]] ([[BBC]]) during the course of any 24-hour period.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Cloonan | first=Martin | title=Negotiating needletime: the Musicians’ Union, the BBC and the record companies, c. 1920–1990 | journal=Social History | volume=41 | issue=4 |year=2016| doi=10.1080/03071022.2016.1215098 | pages=353–374| doi-access=free }}</ref> The number of hours per week allowed gradually increased over the years from below 30 hours in the 1950s. Until 1967{{FactCitation needed|date=March 2008}} the BBC was only allowed to play only five hours per day of commercial gramophone records on the air. It continued to affect [[BBC Radio 1]], [[BBC Radio 2]] and the [[Independent Local Radio]] stations until 1988.

Unlike AmericanBritish records, Britishat recordsthe time carrycarried a warning message around the edge of the record label in the centercentre of the record itself. It stated words to the effect that: "''Unauthorised public performance or broadcasting of this record is strictly prohibited.''"

Although the record industry in [[UK|Britain]] wanted the public to buy its records, it had to give them some airtime inso order forthat the public tocould knowfind thatout theyabout their existedexistence. To that end the record industry used the commercial nighttime signals from [[Radio Luxembourg (English)|Radio Luxembourg]] whose powerful AM signal could be heard in the [[United Kingdom|UK]]. The "208" shows on Luxembourg were mainly fifteen minutes to thirty minutes in length and presented under names such as the ''[[Decca Records]] Show'' or the ''[[Capitol Records]] Show''. These prerecorded programsprogrammes resembled what later became known as [[Infomercialsinfomercials]], because they normally only featured parta little over half of the record which came, with heavy plugging for the record nametitle, label,artist and even its numberlabel.

Unlike the [[BBC]] or Radio Luxembourg, the offshore [[pirate radio]] stations of the 1960s operated not only outside the three miles-mile limit of [[territorial waters]], but also in a grey area of the law. Because the studios and transmitters were located on board the ships or offshore structures, the personnel on board were only under the authority of the captain of that ship or structure. In the case of ship stations such as [[Wonderful Radio London]] which introduced [[top 40]] radio to Britain, the ship was actually registered in a foreign country and therefore subject to the laws of that country, which of course did not recognizerecognise "needle time". [[Payola]] operated on several of these stations.

*[[IFPIInternational Federation of the Phonographic Industry#History]] -– a history of attempts by the record industry to claim a separate right to ownership of recorded works.

[[categoryCategory: broadcastBroadcast law]]