Sound Copyright says: "Copyright in sound recordings currently lasts for 50 years. Yet the recording industry continues to demand that this term be extended. ... But term extension would be an injustice to European musicians and musical culture, and may harm our economy.
... Copyright is a bargain. In exchange for their investment in creating and distributing sound recordings to the public, copyright holders are granted a limited monopoly during which are allowed to control the use of those recordings. This includes the right to pursue anyone who uses their recordings without permission. But when this time is up, these works join Goethe, Hugo and Shakespeare in the proper place for all human culture – the public domain.
... Seminal soul, reggae, and rock and roll recordings will soon be freed from legal restrictions, allowing anyone (including the performers themselves and their heirs) to preserve, reissue, and remix them.
... Major record labels want to keep control of sound recordings well beyond the current 50 year term so that they can continue to make marginal profits from the few recordings that are still commercially viable half a century after they were laid down.
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If you agree that copyright term on sound recordings should not be extended past 50 years, please, sign this petition today. Together, we can defeat copyright term extension."

Sound Copyright is an initiative by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Open Rights Group (ORG).