NME Unoriginals

IPC's NEW WHEEZE is periodic retrospectives - "NME Originals", as they're called.

A member writes:

These use loads of old NME and Melody Maker material written by freelances such as myself.

IPC only ever purchased First British Serial Rights in those pre-internet days. So they know full well that they don't own the material, but you can take a wild guess as to whether they bothered to ask anyone first, or had the basic courtesy to send copies out afterwards.

Some of us have been desultorily paid, others not at all. A fuss is gaining momentum.

Note that EMAP, though by no means the Copyright Fairy in other respects, routinely pays members the standard 50 per cent of the original fee for re-use in similar books.

If you've ever contributed to NME and Melody Maker, join the fuss by emailing the Freelance Office.