Song Lyric & Guitar Tab Sites Next to be Targetted

Gareth · 09-12-2005, 22:39

link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4508158.stm

Quote:

The music industry is to extend its copyright war by taking legal action against websites offering unlicensed song scores and lyrics.

The Music Publishers' Association (MPA), which represents US sheet music companies, will launch its first campaign against such sites in 2006.

MPA president Lauren Keiser said he wanted site owners to be jailed.

He said unlicensed guitar tabs and song scores were widely available on the internet but were "completely illegal".

Mr Keiser said he did not just want to shut websites and impose fines, saying if authorities can "throw in some jail time I think we'll be a little more effective".

Hmph, I really dunno where to start on this one. This guy is completely off his rocker... assuming that a copyright has been infringed, is that really worthy of locking someone up to teach them a lesson?!?

Secondly, is posting someone's interpretation of what chords are used in a song really infringing on the original artists' copyright? What next...? Will they be trawling forums like CF looking for people that have quoted a verse from a song, so they can be sued for infringement too?

bmxbandit · 09-12-2005, 22:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gareth

Secondly, is posting someone's interpretation of what chords are used in a song really infringing on the original artists' copyright?

technically, yes. crazy, huh!

presumably it follows something similar to literary copyright, where you can quote a certain amount for some uses without violating anything...?

Caff · 09-12-2005, 23:15

Isn't there a '15 second' rule, or something, where the first 15 seconds (no matter where it occurs within a piece of music) is free from copyright?

Tab authors could just alter the tempo, dramatically!

Having tried out many tabs - it'd be hard to prove any connection to the original sometimes. (Especially if I'm playing them!) Misrepresentation might be a bigger claim.

punky · 09-12-2005, 23:28

Barstewards!!!

Many sites have helped me out playing the guitar. For many of the bands and songs I like, buying licensed Hal-Leonard song books isn't an option.

daz300 · 09-12-2005, 23:51

i and trying to play my guitar and use some of the web sites where you can get tabs . somee of them are no way like the song you are trying to play . but that is life .

**Maggy** · 10-12-2005, 00:40

Sigh! One wonders where they think the next generation of young players will come from if all they get are knockbacks like this all the time.Learning a real instrument in school is dependant on how often and how many peripatetic music teachers they have available to teach certain instruments.Plus you still have to pay a nominal sum to learn on top of buying or hiring an instrument.It's mostly keyboarding for main music lessons with some singing included.

Mind I suspect that there are those who have taken too big an advantage which is why they have gone down this route.

Halcyon · 10-12-2005, 00:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by scuzz

Isn't there a '15 second' rule, or something, where the first 15 seconds (no matter where it occurs within a piece of music) is free from copyright?

All music is copyrighted. Wether you sample a mili second or 3 minutes, it still is copyright protected.
There is so much to copyright you could write about a million books on it all.
With the lyrics you'd have to find out who owns the copyright to those as they may not be the owner of the actual music too.

10-12-2005, 01:00

Its complete bull****, the music industry will finally destroy itself.

punky · 10-12-2005, 01:05

I don't think you could copyright notion, because the timing, which isn't expressed in guitar tablature notion, can alter the song. I mean so many songs, especialyl rock are based around variations of the same old tri-chords like DCG.

Caff · 10-12-2005, 01:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halcyon

All music is copyrighted. Wether you sample a mili second or 3 minutes, it still is copyright protected.
There is so much to copyright you could write about a million books on it all.
With the lyrics you'd have to find out who owns the copyright to those as they may not be the owner of the actual music too.

Yes, I'm sure you're right.
I meant that a <15-second piece of music could be reproduced/broadcast without permission/rights. Just as x% of text can be freely photocopied/reproduced (except for the Bible and others exceptions).

punky · 10-12-2005, 01:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by scuzz

Just as x% of text can be freely photocopied/reproduced (except for the Bible and others exceptions).

The bible is certainly copyright free, as it's author has been dead more than 70 years? Like Shakespere's word is copyright free.

Caff · 10-12-2005, 01:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by punky

The bible is certainly copyright free, as it's author has been dead more than 70 years? Like Shakespere's word is copyright free.

Yup - the Bible and certain other publications are copyright-free. Isn't that what I said? I guess not.

---------- Post added at 01:56 ---------- Previous post was at 01:25 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by punky

I don't think you could copyright notion, because the timing, which isn't expressed in guitar tablature notion, can alter the song. I mean so many songs, especialyl rock are based around variations of the same old tri-chords like DCG.

I meant that speeding up the supposed tempo, not time sig so that the whole song could be seemingly covered in <15 seconds. Like listening to something in 78rpm instead of 33 and still getting the essence... I was being silly.

I'm no mathematician so I'm not quite sure what music could be covered in just 15 seconds - it was just a fleeting thought. Just another way to get around disliked, but fair, restrictions, I suppose.

punky · 10-12-2005, 02:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by scuzz

Yup - the Bible and certain other publications are copyright-free. Isn't that what I said? I guess not.

Sorry, when you said "...can be freely reproduced, except...", I intrepreted that as the bible not being able to be freely reproduced.

Quote:

Originally Posted by punky

I meant that speeding up the supposed tempo, not time sig so that the whole song could be seemingly covered in <15 seconds. Like listening to something in 78rpm instead of 33 and still getting the essence... I was being silly.

I'm no mathematician so I'm not quite sure what music could be covered in just 15 seconds - it was just a fleeting thought. Just another way to get around disliked, but fair, restrictions, I suppose.

I don't mean tempo as such, just the length of each not and where the rests are. Music notion-wise, they are identical, but the songs sound very different.

grandmaster · 10-12-2005, 17:34

Next....

KARAOKE SINGERS GET JAILED FOR LIFE....

Or

BLOKE WHISTLES TUNE AND GETS ARRESTED.

They are going to far this time....
Its a shame a mass boycott of all music purchases could not be set up.

Simple answer stop paying artists Sh*t loads of money.

**Maggy** · 10-12-2005, 18:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by grandmaster

Next....

KARAOKE SINGERS GET JAILED FOR LIFE....

Or

BLOKE WHISTLES TUNE AND GETS ARRESTED.

They are going to far this time....
Its a shame a mass boycott of all music purchases could not be set up.

Simple answer stop paying artists Sh*t loads of money.

If they don't get paid we don't have any music to listen to..No one should have to work for nothing.It's not as if they get a lot from royalties...Most of the profits go to the other folk involved in the music industry.