Although the Supreme Court ruling is undoubtedly a blow. There is a bright side.
Media companies may have won a battle but they are losing the war – digital media fundamentally changes the role of the agent between artists and their fans.
If copyright were indefinite, Shakespeare would make more money over time than all pulp fiction.
Longer copyrights mean that media companies can take a longer term view and since quality lasts, this means slightly less over-hyped, short-term junk.
When you couple this with the fact that the role of media companies as marketers and distributers is reduced by the efficiencies of digital media distribution and peer to peer recommendation, then the need for the middle people is reduced and there is even less money to spend on promoting crap.