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A Critical Historical Analysis Of The Public Performance Right, Louis J. D'Alton

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The legislation of a public performance right in musical works in the late 19th created the opportunity for the formation of an initial copyright collective within the Anglo-American legal tradition. The subsequent widespread expansion of Performing Rights organizations marked an early successful example of trans-national capital. Despite the widespread expansion and subsequent acceptance of copyright collectives since their inception, there has been very little scholarship in this area generally and almost none that attempt to critically pursue the issue beyond simple economic or legal analysis.

This thesis traces the historical establishment and expansion of the public performance right in musical …