the times | Saturday December 4 2021 3
News
into music streaming drew attention
this year to the low payments artists re-
ceive from platforms such as Spotify,
Apple Music and YouTube.
Typically, artists sign the rights to
their recordings to record labels for
over 70 years. The labels then sell their
catalogues to streaming services and
pay royalties to artists based, largely, on
the number of times songs are played.
The biggest record labels — Sony,
Universal and Warner — opposed the
bill and said many artists were making
money from streaming. The bill did not
get government support. George Free-
man, a business minister, said ideally
the solution would be “industry-led”.David Sanderson Arts Correspondent
of effort.” For their part, Westminster
Council made a curious intervention.
On the tree’s official Twitter account,
which the council runs, they suggested
that the scant branches were not miss-
ing but were merely observing “social
distancing”.
There is as yet no indication as to
whether there will be changes for the
gift next year, assuming that Oslo
doesn’t punish London’s ingratitude.
Some Norwegians suggested that the
UK might want to keep as many friends
as possible at the moment.
Gunnar Evensen said: “Try getting a
Christmas tree from the French to see
how nice that is.”The spindly tree in
Trafalgar Square
this year compares
unfavourably with
the contribution
from Norway in- The Oslo
mayor insisted,
however, that the
gift was a symbol of
solidarity and
friendship
When Norway’s annual gift to London
arrived in Trafalgar Square this week it
was widely mocked for its “spindly”
appearance. And it seems that even the
Norwegians agree.
Some in the capital city gazed at the
60ft spruce and asked: “Where’s the
rest of it?” One person on Twitter joked:
“Have we gone to war with Norway?”
Another poster questioned if the tree
was sent in retaliation for Manchester
United’s sacking of Ole Gunnar Sols-
kjaer, the Norwegian football manager.
They are not alone in their bewilder-
ment. Even some members of Norway’s
proud Christmas tree industry are
appalled at their offering.
Erik Lonnum, from Juletre Kompa-
nie, or the Christmas
Tree Company, said:
“The main problem is,
the tree was moved by
people who don’t un-
derstand the industry.
Things would have
been different if the
government had called
someone who knew
what they were doing!”
The leading Norwe-
gian tabloid Dagbladet
reported that Britons
were “ridiculing” the
country’s gift.
VG, a tabloid based in
Oslo, accused London of
“bullying”. But the news-
paper’s readers seemed to
share the opinion that the
tree left a little to be
desired.
“It looks like it was bought in IKEA
and that some of the parts were miss-
ing,” one reader, Leif Bjorkli, comment-
ed. Eric Holm suggested that the mayor
Thanks for the
tree, Norway
... but where’s
the rest of it?
of Oslo should “go to Specsavers”
before deciding on a tree next year.
The mayor of Oslo, for her part,
preferred to stress the symbolism of the
tree rather than its appearance.
Marianne Borgen, the Socialist Left
politician, carries ultimate responsibili-
ty for the tree but was quick to laugh off
criticism yesterday as she returned
from London. Fresh off the plane, she
told The Times: “People complain all
the time. In 2019 I was told it looked like
a cucumber.
“In the end, the tree is not really a tree
at all, it’s a symbol of solidarity and
friendship. It comes from the forest that
embraces Oslo on all sides. So while it
might arrive with injuries, it remains a
gift of love.”
Some dismayed Norwegians have
noticed that the British have been less
than grateful and made their displeas-
ure known. The capacity for upset is not
inconsiderable. The tree is a source of
pride, with the felling of the chosen tree
still being a televised event.
Traditionally, the British ambassador
and the mayor of Westminster attend
the ceremony.
On the Norwegian
capital’s streets yester-
day, Lars Anton said:
“All the British gave us
last Christmas was the
Kent variant. If they
don’t want the tree we
can come and get it
back.”
The tree also had its
defenders on the
streets of London.
Steve Orton, a wood-
land creation worker
at Forestry England,
told The i newspaper:
“Anything over 10ft is
a proper tree, an old
tree growing on its
own in the wilder-
ness. It’s not a shrub
any more. Anything that looks like a
Christmas tree, even with some gaps or
droopy sides, is impressive.
“Norway does remarkably well to
find such a nice one each year. It’s a lotDon’t worry, says mayor
of Oslo, our spindly
spruce is just a symbol,
John Jo Devlin and
Jack Blackburn write
htithca
da
“A
la
K
do
ca
bade
st
St
la
at
to
“A
a
tr
ow
n
anymoreAnythinDame Vera Lynn was a victim of the
streaming revolution in her final years,
parliament was told yesterday, as her
recording contract deprived her of roy-
alties for popular revivals of her songs.
The singer songwriter, who died last
year aged 103, had a contract “signed
and conceived in the pre-internet era,”
Natalie Elphicke, the Conservative MP,
said at a reading of a bill aiming to
transform the music industry.
The Copyright (Rights and Remu-
neration of Musicians) Bill,
which proposes amending exist-
ing copyright legislation to change
‘Pre-internet’ contract cost Vera Lynn dear
the way musicians and songwriters are
paid for the performance of their music
in the “streaming era”, would have pro-
tected Lynn, Kevin Brennan, a Labour
MP who has sponsored it, said.
He said that in a digital era, the labels
no longer had high manufacturing and
distribution costs. “But they still have
the Dame Vera Lynn recordings and
they make money from them but they
don’t have to pay a penny.”
The bill would pay artists streaming
royalties in the same way they get
money from their songs appearing on
the radio. It also would allow artists to
reclaim copyrights after 20 years.
A parliamentary committee reportThe deal Vera Lynn
had may be bannedNNNNNNNNeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwsssssss
From Oslo with love
6 The Trafalgar Square
Christmas tree has been
an annual gift from
Norway since 1947 in
gratitude for Britain’s
support during the
Second World War.6 It is usually a spruce at
least 65ft tall selected
from forests surrounding
Oslo months in advance.6 In late November the
tree is transported by sea
to London. A hydraulic
crane and a specialistrigging team are used to
install it before it is
decorated in the
traditional Norwegian
style with lights hung in
vertical strings.6 The tree-lighting
ceremony takes place on
the first Thursday of
December and attracts
thousands to the square.6 It remains there until
just before Twelfth Night
when it is taken down,
chipped and composted.MATTHEW CHATTLE/ALAMY; TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE