Mechanical (& other) Copyright Stamps
Last Update 13 November
2017
Newly published in November 2017, Adam Miller's Stamps
on Music -
The World-wide Catalogue & Handbook of Stamps issued under Copyright
Acts, 2nd Edition,
describes the background to the stamps, and catalogues in considerable
detail the issues of over 400 companies and individuals from over
15 countries.
This 2nd Edition is now available through
the print-on-demand services of lulu.com, and runs to 312 pages!
Click on the cover at left to view purchasing
information and some catalogue sample extracts.
Newsletters!
Copyright Stamps Newsletter #5 - December
2019 - New finds since the Second Edition was published
(Earlier Newsletter followed on from the 1st Edition - much of this information
is now incorporated into the new 2nd Edition)
Copyright Stamps Newsletter #1 - December
2008 - new issuers uncovered since the book was
published (PDF, 2.8MB, print-ready)
Copyright Stamps Newsletter #2 - September
2009 - new issuers, and many new types from known
issuers (PDF, 2.1MB, print-ready)
Copyright Stamps Newsletter #3 - July
2011 - almost all new issuers, plus book review of
a new work on copyright stamps in Germany (PDF, 4MB, print-ready)
Copyright Stamps Newsletter #4 - May
2013 - Many new issuers and issues, especially from
Italy (PDF, 3.3MB, print-ready)
What they are.
These stamps were issued
to show the pre-payment of mechanical copyright royalties
due under various Copyright Acts and General Regulations. They
were first introduced in the UK in July 1912, and had largely faded
by the Second World War, although in Australia the continued
well into the 1950s. They were intended to be affixed to the
record, pianola roll or cylinder box to show the royalty had been
paid.
A longer article is here.
Issuers by Category
Each category has a list
of the relevant issues, by country. A few issuers
have a linked page which shows the basic stamp types issued, and
some detail of these, per the "Stamps on Music" catalogue.
The terms used are defined here.
Unless otherwise shown, all images on the subsequent pages are scanned
at 200% for an 800x600 256 colour display (75dpi).
Record labels are generally scanned actual size.
The stamps below are actual size at 100dpi.
-
Music Publishers
-
Record companies
-
Copyright Agencies
-
Composers
-
Miscellaneous & Unknown
-
Purchase Tax stamps
Gallery
A selection of images of records, rolls, stamps and sheet
music relating to mechanical copyright stamps.
©Adam
Miller 1997+
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