Abi wrote:The copyright to the original master is owned by FDR.... and thats the *only* 'original' master FDR can make any claims over...! And as thats been under lock and key for some time, then yes, I suspect that JMJ might have had a back-up copy that he could work from, which FDR can't make any claims to as it's a copy and not the master...
Any subsequent masters in any form made since 1976 or the end of the last lawsuit are the property of JMJ.
Thats how it would be viewed here in the UK...
Its like when bands sign to a really small label and the label goes mental and disappears into the ether and when it reappears, decides that the band can't have any original masters back that have been submitted... the band has to recreate the masters in order to reclaim their 'property' and it's done more often than some people think..
And yes, in some cases using copies of masters because legally, a copy cannot be regarded as a master! A copy can only become a new master once its been 'tweaked' and 'fine tuned' and stuff added to it... even then, it's the property of the band... it's one reason why all artists should keep copies of their work....!
JMJ has the right to perform any of his old music in concert form and release it... I know thats probably why the concert dvds of late have fallen short of the mark because of the other copyright issue with regards to the images used...!
And thats something else!!!!!!

When you own the master, you own everything in it, as it sounds in it, and no more.
That's why AERO was a risky job, making the tracks sound diferent in the new mix from what is sounds like in the early masters.
A CD is a master, everyone who buys it, has a copy of it.
For example, if the Oxy2 arpeggio would have sounded with delay just like in the master, it would have to pay soundtrack rights... it sound's thin, it's the same track, but not the same "sound" as it is on the master, ie, it does not sound the same way.
As for percussion, well, some gear give you the right to use it anywhere, which includes rythm boxes, non-effected synth presets and so on.
As for Oxygene 3D, I have to admit I still haven't heard it because I was very disappointed to find out it is NOT high-definition neither in sound nor image, so I can't really tell if it was re-recorded or not - not that I care for I love the 1976 analog recordings and they are high-definition in nature (except for less dinamics which does not matter for JMJ is not much into dinamic volume variations and the tape could handle it all).
The rest is marketing, and JMJ has to make a living.
Now one thing is for sure, in the state EMI is in, if it can get 750 000 eur, for whatever reason, it will surelly do so.
As for Dreyffus, is a never ending "trying to proove this and that", which any audio engineer can debunk or confirm at will... guess I have to listen to O2 3D then... just to see where has Jarre messed up big this time... again!
Kind Regards,
AMR
http://www.alvaromrocha.com