The UK government has rejected the idea of extending music copyright beyond 50 years, prompting protests from ageing rockers whose work will soon be in the public domain.
"The review... concluded that an extension would not benefit the majority of performers, most of whom have contractual relationships requiring their royalties be paid back to the record label," said ministers.
US royalties last for 95 years.
The government position attracted vocal opposition from some artists. The BBC quotes 63-year-old groovester Roger Daltrey - whose first works will go out of copyright in seven years - as saying that musicians "enriched people's lives", and that they were "not asking for a handout, just a fair reward for their creative endeavours".
Other advocates of longer copyright include veteran popster Cliff Richard - for whom the cutoff point is even closer. Tory leader David Cameron is also a member of the extensionist camp.
Unsurprisingly, music-industry bodies also felt that free oldie-pop would be bad for Blighty.
Daltrey foretold penury for wrinkly rockers, saying they had "no pensions and rely on royalties". He stuck to the position that other eldsters - presumably the people most likely to enjoy their work - should subsidise their retirement through pricier music.
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