copyrights

ttf_anonymous
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copyrights

Post by ttf_anonymous »

Can anybody recommend a website or book that gives good information about copyrights in music?  How to get them, what works are under copyright, all of the legal aspects of copyrights, how they apply to arrangements and compositions.

Thanks,
Bodie
ttf_Woolworth
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copyrights

Post by ttf_Woolworth »

This little book by Jay Althouse is clearly written, full of real-life examples that are very helpful even if you're not a music educator.  It served me well for many years.

http://www.a-cappella.com/catalog/the-teachers-lounge/teaching-resources/p_5806b.html

I think the copyright laws are often misunderstood and are broken with shocking frequency by musicians.
ttf_BGuttman
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copyrights

Post by ttf_BGuttman »

We had a big discussion about copyright here about a year ago.

I thought someone had agreed to write a little article on copyright for the regular OTJ (not the forum).

If you are a Union member, there is a copyright section on the AFM site.

And you can always go to the Patents and Trademarks portion of the U. S. Gummint Web Site.

As to what is under copyright, it seems that Disney keeps trying to extend the copyright protection to maintain Mickey Mouse, so I guess anything newer than 1928 will remain under copyright protection forever.  Right now, a copyright lasts life of the composer plus 70 years.

It's easy to get a copyright, but enforcement is on your nickel: if somebody steals your idea you have to hire the lawyer and you have to initiate the lawsuit.

Lots more.  Read up.  If you want to be a lawyer, it's a pretty good field.
ttf_trombodie
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copyrights

Post by ttf_trombodie »

Thanks for the tips.  Could somebody please provide a link to the thread from a year ago on this topic.  I did a search, but to no avail.
Thanks,
Bodie
ttf_JohnL
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copyrights

Post by ttf_JohnL »

The US Copyright Office website is a good place to start...
http://www.copyright.gov/
ttf_Graham Martin
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copyrights

Post by ttf_Graham Martin »

Todd Jonz prepared a wonderful discourse on the subject of Copyright for the members of this forum. It answered all the questions that had ever been asked on the forum. It was submitted to the 'powers that be' but unfortunately it has never been published. Now might be a good time!
ttf_RedHotMama
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copyrights

Post by ttf_RedHotMama »

Grah,

I've raised this question again in the Mods Corner.
ttf_Joe Jackson
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copyrights

Post by ttf_Joe Jackson »

Again, ideas like the copyright FAQ have been put off due to migration...
ttf_Graham Martin
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copyrights

Post by ttf_Graham Martin »

For now, why don't we just post Todd's information as a topic in this room? At least it will then be available to the members!

I had thought about doing that myself, and I know Todd has, but I didn't want to 'rock the boat' if there was a better way of presenting the information.
ttf_RedHotMama
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copyrights

Post by ttf_RedHotMama »

(This is the information accumulated on copyright by Todd and Grah. I hope I'm not doing anything wrong by posting it here and now.) RHM

Introduction

Copyright laws differ from one country to the next. There are many cases in which the copyright laws of one country are in direct conflict with the copyright laws of another country. Unless otherwise noted, the information in this document is based on the Copyright Law of the United States as set forth in Title 17 of the United States Code. Although many of the main concepts and principles discussed in this document may be the same or similar in other countries, readers outside the U.S. are encouraged to explore their own national copyright laws.

THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE. Copyright law is a complex field, and interpreting it keeps entire law firms in business. The contents of this FAQ should be considered informational in nature. Anyone in need of legal advice concerning copyright law should consult an attorney. Do not depend on the information contained in this document to protect you or your musical works.

Terms and Definitions

1. What is a copyright?

A copyright is a collection of legal rights that protect a creative work expressed in a tangible form. A copyright grants exclusive rights to an author, editor, composer, playwright, publisher, or distributor to reproduce, distribute, perform, record, and broadcast an original literary, musical, or dramatic work as well as works derived from the original work. Copyrights protect a work itself, not the concepts, ideas, or themes contained in the work. As it applies to a musical work, a copyright protects the right to publish the sheet music for the work, perform the work in public, record the work in any format (such as on CD, magnetic tape, vinyl phonograph record, or a computer MIDI file), or broadcast the work via any medium (such as radio, television, or digital netcast.)

Copyright is a legal concept embraced by most nations of the world, but the specific terms of copyright law are established by each individual nation. While there are numerous international treaties, conventions, and agreements between nations regarding copyright law, not all nations are signators to these agreements, and as a result there is no such thing as international copyright law per se. There are many instances in which the copyright laws of one nation conflict with the copyright laws of another nation.

2. What is the public domain?

Works that are not protected by copyright are said to be in the public domain. A work may be in the public domain because the term of its copyright has expired, because its creator specifically dedicated it to the public domain, or because its creator failed to protect or enforce his or her copyright for the work.

3. What is a derivative work?

A derivative work is an artistic work that is based upon another artistic work. An example of a derivative works is a movie or teleplay based on a novel or stage play, or an annotated or otherwise edited edition of a written work. As applied to musical works, a derivative work is usually an arrangement of an original composition or a recording of an original composition or arrangement.

4. What is fair use?

Fair use refers to certain limited ways in which a protected work may be used without the explicit permission of the copyright holder that would otherwise be in violation of copyright law. The doctrine of fair use is set forth in Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act. Examples of fair use are the right to quote short passages of a literary work in a published review of that work, and the right to reproduce portions of a work for purely educational purposes under certain circumstances. Court decisions sometimes extended the doctrine of fair use, such as the so-called Betamax decision, which decreed that it was not a violation of copyright law for an individual to create a videotaped copy of a television broadcast for personal use, such as "time-shifted" viewing or archiving in a personal video library.

As it applies to musical works, the doctrine of fair use can probably be interpreted to permit such activities as the private performance of works protected by copyright (such as a rehearsal band playing commercial sheet music or an unauthorized arrangement) and recording a work protected by copyright for personal use (such as recording a work in your home for the purpose of improving your playing skills.)

The doctrine of fair use is quite complicated and its terms are fairly broad and open to interpretation. It is sometimes easy to interpret the doctrine of fair use to justify a particular use of a protected work when, in fact, that use would actually constitute a violation of copyright law. Except in very simple cases where copyright laws explicitly describe a particular use, it is generally a good idea to leave interpretation of fair use to intellectual property lawyers.

5. What does it mean to "publish" a musical work?

You publish a musical work when you fix the work in some medium (such as sheet music, an audio CD recording, or a computer MIDI file) and distribute copies of the work in that medium. Distribution of a musical work in this fashion is considered publishing regardless of whether or not you receive monetary compensation for the copies you distribute. Giving a single copy of the sheet music for a musical work to a friend without charge constitutes publishing it just as much as selling thousands of copies for a profit.

6. What does "out of print" mean?

A work is said to be out of print if the publisher is no longer producing new copies of the work. An out-of-print work may or may not be protected by a copyright. Out-of-print works that are protected by copyright are sometimes referred to as "orphaned" works.

7. What are authors' rights?

The original author of a work has the exclusive right to determine who may reproduce, distribute, perform, record, or broadcast the work. These rights may be (and frequently are) contractually assigned by the original author to another party either in whole or in part. For example, the composer of an original musical work will often assign the right to reproduce and distribute copies of the work to a publishing company, which in return pays the composer a fee for each copy of the work it sells. Similar arrangements are common with regard to the right to perform, record, or broadcast an original musical work.

8. What are graphic rights?

Graphic rights are the rights to reproduce and distribute an image. As they apply to musical works, graphic rights usually concern sheet music. It is important to differentiate between the rights to an image of a piece of music from the music itself. For example, an older musical work may be in the public domain, but a particular image of that work, such an edition of sheet music, may be protected by copyright.

9. What are performance rights?

Performance rights are the rights to perform a protected literary or musical work in public. Performance rights for musical works apply to the public performance of an original composition or arrangement in a concert, club, etc. and to the broadcast via radio, television, etc. of live or recorded versions of a composition or arrangement.

The administrative task of granting performance rights for a work can be very demanding, particularly for a popular work. It is not uncommon for the composer of an original composition or the arranger of an original arrangement to assign the performance rights for a work to a rights management organization. This organization is then responsible for processing requests to perform the work, authorizing performers to perform the work by granting them a performance license, and collecting royalties when the work is performed.

A rights management organization usually returns some portion of these royalties to the original composer or arranger and retains some portion of the royalties to cover the costs it incurs in the administration of the performance license. There are three organizations that manage performance rights for the vast majority of musical works: ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers); BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.); and SESAC.

10. What are mechanical rights?

Mechanical rights are the rights to record a performance of a protected musical or dramatic work. The term "mechanical" refers the use of a mechanical device to embody a performance of the work in some medium, such as a CD, DVD, vinyl LP, videocassette, MIDI file, or even a piano roll.

As is the case with performance rights, the administrative task of granting mechanical rights for a work can be very demanding, and there are organizations that will handle this task on behalf of the original composer or arranger of a musical work. Whereas only three such organizations manage performance rights for the vast majority of musical works, there are a large number of organizations that manage mechanical rights. A fairly comprehensive listing of these organizations can be found on the MusicBizBuzz web site.

In the United States, one organization that manages mechanical rights for a large body of musical works is the Harry Fox Agency. One of the services offered by HFA is the processing of requests for mechanical licenses for a limited number (2,500 units or less) of recordings, which can easily be obtained online. The Songfile Database maintained by HFA can be very useful in determining if a composition or arrangement is protected by copyright.

11. What are royalties?

Royalties are monetary fees paid to the holder of a copyright in exchange for the right to use a protected work in a specific manner. Royalties for a musical work are most often paid in exchange for the right to publish, perform, or record that work. The monetary amount paid is usually determined by a contractual agreement between the party paying the royalty and the party receiving the payment.

Royalties associated with musical works generally fall into one of three categories. When the original composer or arranger of a musical work enters into an agreement with a publisher, he or she is usually paid a fixed amount or a percentage of the sale price of each copy of the work sold. Royalties for performance rights are often paid as a fixed amount based on the size of the performance venue, or as a percentage of the revenue generated by ticket sales. Royalties for mechanical (recording) rights are most often paid as a fixed amount per unit (such as CD, LP, DVD, etc.) sold.

Public Domain Works

12. How do I determine if a musical work is protected by copyright or in the public domain?

All works written before 1923 are in the public domain. If a work bears a copyright date earlier than 1923, it is in the public domain. The Public Domain Song List is a searchable database of 3,500 songs that are in the public domain under U.S. copyright law. A work that was once protected by copyright may also be in the public domain if its copyright was not renewed. Unfortunately there is no easy way to determine if this is the case.

13. There's a copyright notice on my copy of the Bach two-part inventions. Isn't Bach's music in the public domain?

A copyright on an edition of sheet music for a work written before 1923 applies only to the graphic rights to that particular edition of the work, which may not be reproduced or distributed without the permission of the publisher. The musical work itself, however, is not protected by the copyright.

14. If I want to arrange a work in the public domain, must I work from an original copy of the music that does not bear a copyright?

Basing your arrangement of a work in the public domain on either an original score or an edition of the work published before 1923 is the safest way to avoid violating any copyrights. Basing your arrangement on an edition of the work that bears a copyright date later than 1922 is also safe as long as that the musical content of that edition is identical to the original version of the work. In this case the copyright protects the graphic rights to the edition, not the work itself.

An arranger or editor might modify the original version of a work in the public domain. Basing your arrangement on such an edition of the work would be a violation of the copyright if your arrangement incorporated any of those changes. A credit for an arranger or editor might be considered an argument against using a particular edition of the work as the basis for your arrangement.
In order to win a lawsuit against you, the publisher of a protected edition of a work in the public domain would have to prove in court that you had used that edition as the basis for your arrangement. Depending on the degree of similarity between the content of the protected edition and the original work, proving such an assertion might be a difficult undertaking.
Purchased Sheet Music

15. Can I make photocopies of sheet music I have purchased?

Making a photocopy of sheet music protected by copyright without the permission of the publisher is a violation of copyright law.

16. Can I make photocopies of sheet music that is out of print?

Even though the publisher has chosen to discontinue publication of the work, its copyright remains in effect, and only the publisher has a legal right to reproduce and distribute the work.

17. Can I perform sheet music I have purchased?

If the work in question is protected by copyright, you may only perform the work in public if you have obtained a performance license from the holder of the copyright or his agent. The purchase of sheet music conveys no performance rights.

18. I purchased the sheet music for a string quartet. Can I rearrange it for a trombone quartet?

If the string quartet is protected by copyright, you may rearrange it for trombone quartet only with the permission of the copyright holder. Your trombone quartet arrangement would be considered a derivative work, and the holder of the copyright on the string quartet has the exclusive right to create a derivative work or to authorize someone else to create a derivative work.
Publishing Original Compositions

19. How do I copyright my original composition?

Copyright law protects an original composition the instant you express it in a tangible form such as sheet music or a recording. In order to alert others that your composition is protected by copyright, you should affix a copyright notice to your work that includes your name and the year in which you first created the sheet music or recording. The standard format of such a notice is, "Copyright © 2004 John Doe."

20. Must I include a copyright notice in my work?

Copyright law does not require you to affix a copyright notice to your work, but you should do so for your own protection. If a legal dispute over the ownership of the copyright on the work were ever to arise, the presence of a copyright notice will work in your favor. There have been cases in which works were considered by the court to be in the public domain because the authors of those works failed to protect them by affixing a copyright notice to the works.

21. How do I register my copyright?

You may register a copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office by completing a simple form and paying a fee of $30. The Copyright Office provides complete instructions for registering a musical work on its web site.

22. Must I register my copyright for it to be legal?

Your original composition is protected by copyright regardless of whether or not you choose to register it with the Copyright Office. If a legal dispute over the ownership of the copyright on the work were ever to arise and one party to the dispute had registered the copyright, the court would most likely consider that party to be the legal copyright holder. If both parties had registered the copyright, the court would most likely consider the party that holds the registration with the earliest date to be the legal copyright holder.

23. How long does a copyright remain in effect?

The copyright for works created after 1977 remains in effect for the life of the author plus 70 years. If there are multiple authors, the copyright remains in effect for 70 years after the death of the last surviving author. The copyright for anonymous and pseudonymous works and works made for hire created after 1977 remains in effect for the longer of 95 years from the year of first publication or 120 years from the year of creation. The copyright for works created but not published or registered before 1978 remains in effect for the life of the author plus 70 years. If the work was published before 2003 the copyright will not expire before 2048. For works created before 1978 that are still in their original or renewal term of copyright, the copyright is remains in effect for 95 year after the date that copyright was originally secured.

24. Am I in violation of copyright laws if my original composition contains the same or similar chord changes to another work protected by copyright?

Limited similarity to another work is probably not a violation. Generally speaking chords, rhythms, bass lines, etc. are not protected by copyright. There may be problems, however, if your composition is sufficiently similar to another work that an ordinary listener would find it difficult to distinguish between the two. For example, in the legal dispute over George Harrison's My Sweet Lord a court found that Harrison's song was sufficiently similar to the song He's So Fine that it was considered to be an unauthorized derivative work that violated the older song's copyright.

Publishing Arrangements

25. Can I copyright my arrangement?

You may copyright your arrangement of another composer's work if that work is in the public domain. If the work is protected by copyright you probably cannot obtain a copyright for your arrangement, as discussed further in the questions that follow.

26. Can I make my own arrangement of a work protected by copyright?

You may create your own arrangement of a work protected by copyright for your own private use, such as creating the arrangement as a personal educational exercise or playing the arrangement with your rehearsal band in a private setting. Any other use of your arrangement, such as publication or public performance, would require the permission of the copyright holder.

27. How do I get permission to publish my own arrangement of a work protected by copyright?
In most cases the publisher of the original work will either hold the copyright for the work or be able to direct you to the copyright holder. Send a letter requesting permission to publish your arrangement to the holder of the copyright of the original work. Mailing addresses for many music publishers can be found in the Publisher Directory maintained by the Music Publishers' Association. In response to your letter, the publisher may decide to let you publish your arrangement yourself, offer to publish it for you, or deny permission to publish it.

28. Why can't I get permission to publish my arrangement of a protected work from the holder of the copyright?

A publishing company usually holds the publication rights for a published musical work. Due to the large amount of administrative overhead involved in executing a contract, collecting royalties, and so forth, large music publishers frequently deny requests from individuals to publish their arrangements works for which the publishing company holds the copyright.
Many of the larger music publishing companies enter into exclusive agreements with one another to cross license the works for which they hold publishing rights. This means that one party to such an agreement may publish an arrangement of a work for which another party to the agreement holds the publishing rights. The exclusive nature of these agreements prohibits each of the companies from licensing any of the works for which it holds publishing rights to any company or individual that is not a party to the cross licensing agreement.

29. Can I publish my unauthorized arrangement as long as I don't charge for it?

You may only publish an arrangement of a work protected by copyright with the permission of the copyright holder regardless of whether you charge for the arrangement or give it away for free.

30. Can I give copies of my unauthorized arrangement to my friends?

Giving copies of your arrangement to your friends constitutes publication. See the question above regarding the publication of unauthorized arrangements.
Performance Rights

31. What performance rights do I have for sheet music I have purchased?

Purchasing sheet music conveys no performance rights.

32. Who pays the royalties for works protected by copyright when they are performed in public?

The venue at which a performance takes place is responsible for paying royalties for the works performed. Most clubs, bars, etc. in which music is performed pay an annual fee based on the size of the venue to one or more rights management organizations in exchange for performance rights to works handled by those organizations.

33. Can I perform a work protected by copyright in public without paying royalties if I don't charge admission to the performance and the performers are not paid?

Section 110(4)(A) of U.S. Copyright Law states in part, "the following are not infringements of copyright...performance of a nondramatic literary or musical work otherwise than in a transmission to the public, without any purpose of direct or indirect commercial advantage and without payment of any fee or other compensation for the performance to any of its performers, promoters, or organizers, if there is no direct or indirect admission charge..."

Recording (Mechanical) Rights

34. Can my band record and sell a CD of works protected by copyright?

Works protected by copyright may only be recorded if mechanical licenses have been obtained from the holders of the copyright on the works to be recorded or from the duly authorized agents of the copyright holders.

35. Can my community band record a CD of its concerts if copies are given only to members of the band free of charge?

Making a limited number of copies of the recording and giving them away for free to the performers does not obviate the need for a mechanical license as discussed in the question above.

36. How do I obtain rights to record a work protected by copyright?

You must first determine who handles the mechanical rights for the work. In some cases, the publisher also handles mechanical licensing for the work. In other cases the publisher should be able to tell you how to obtain mechanical rights. A good place to start is with the Harry Fox Agency, which handles mechanical licensing for a very large body of musical works. An online search of HFA's Songfile Database is an easy way to determine if HFA handles mechanical rights for the work in question. If HFA does handle mechanical rights for the work, and if you wish to produce fewer than 2,500 copies of the recording, you may apply for a license online at the HFA web site.
Copyright Violations

37. What are my chances of getting caught if I violate a copyright?

The chances that you will be caught violating a copyright depend to a great extent on the nature of the violation. Perhaps the most common copyright violation amongst musicians is the photocopying of commercial sheet music for backup purposes. Although this practice is a violation, it is highly unlikely that the publisher is liable to discover it.

Another common practice amongst musicians that violates copyright law is the sharing of unauthorized arrangements. If you were to share one of your unauthorized arrangements with a couple of friends, it is unlikely that you would be caught – unless, of course, those friends share your arrangement with others and it eventually falls into the hands of someone associated with the copyright holder. Perhaps the greatest danger under this scenario is that your arrangement might find its way onto someone's web site. This would greatly increase the number of people it might reach, significantly increasing the chances that the copyright holder might discover your copyright violation.

38. What would happen if I were caught violating a copyright?

This also depends to a great extent on the nature of the violation. If the copyright holder were to consider the violation to be relatively minor, you would most likely receive a "cease and desist" letter from the copyright holder's lawyers demanding that you cease distribution of the work that is in violation.
If the copyright holder believes that your violation had resulted in "permanent and irreparable harm" to his business, you might be sued for damages. For example, if you had published an unauthorized arrangement of a protected work, you should not be surprised if the copyright holder were to demand all of the revenue that you had realized from the sale of the arrangement.
It is also possible that the copyright holder could ask the court to award monetary damages in excess of the revenue you had realized from the sale of your arrangement. For example, lets assume that you had published your arrangement on a web site and offered it for download without charge, and that the availability of your unauthorized arrangement caused sales of the copyright holder's legitimate arrangement to decline. Even though you did not make a profit on your arrangement, the copyright holder could be awarded an amount equivalent to his estimate of lost revenue for the work based on past sales.

References

The references listed below were used in the preparation of this FAQ. If you wish to learn more about copyright law, these documents and web sites would be good places to start.
· U.S. Copyright Office
· Copyright Law of the United States [HTML]
· Copyright Law of the United States [PDF]
· Copyright Law FAQ
· Music Publishers' Association FAQ
· Public Domain Information Project
· Copyright Resources on the Internet
· U.S. Copyright Law: A Guide for Music Educators
ttf_Todd Jonz
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copyrights

Post by ttf_Todd Jonz »

My original draft of the document that RHM has posted above was written in HTML and contained some embedded links that have been lost.  For those of you interested in consulting the sources listed at the end of the document which I used for research, here they are with the links included:

U.S. Copyright Office

Copyright Law of the United States [HTML]

Copyright Law of the United States [PDF]

Copyright Law FAQ

Music Publishers' Association FAQ

Public Domain Information Project

Copyright Resources on the Internet

U.S. Copyright Law: A Guide for Music Educators

Also missing from the version posted above is a paragraph acknowledging all of the questions and answers from Forumites during that extended discussion last year.  Your contributions formed the basis of this FAQ, and without them I would never have undertaken to write it.  To a very large extent, this document was a collaboration by a fairly large group of Forumites, and I merely served as editor.
ttf_Graham Martin
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Post by ttf_Graham Martin »

On Ya Todd! Image But I think you are underselling the effort that I know you put into it.
ttf_anonymous
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copyrights

Post by ttf_anonymous »

When it comes to fair use - if a piece of music has a page turn that is impossible to make without missing some notes on the next page, is it OK to make a copy of that page? Of course, any logical person would go ahead and make the copy, but I just wonder what the legal status of that action is.
ttf_anonymous
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Post by ttf_anonymous »

17. Can I perform sheet music I have purchased?

If the work in question is protected by copyright, you may only perform the work in public if you have obtained a performance license from the holder of the copyright or his agent. The purchase of sheet music conveys no performance rights.

Are they crazy? Or did I misread that?

You can not perform music you have bought in public without talking with the...what the hell? Well then...I guess nearly every musician that has performed in public must go to jail.
ttf_Todd Jonz
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Post by ttf_Todd Jonz »

Christian writes:

> Are they crazy?

You wanna hear crazy?  The song Happy Birthday is still under copyright.  It's cool to sing it for your mom at home around the diningroom table, but doing so in a restaurant constitues a public performance and is technically a violation of copyright law.
ttf_BGuttman
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Post by ttf_BGuttman »

Quote from: "MikeMiller"When it comes to fair use - if a piece of music has a page turn that is impossible to make without missing some notes on the next page, is it OK to make a copy of that page? Of course, any logical person would go ahead and make the copy, but I just wonder what the legal status of that action is.

You are allowed to make one copy for personal use, but if you start selling the copies for all your friends, be prepared to take some time in the "slammer".

If you ask, you may be allowed to use the copy.  I remember buying a brass quintet arrangement of "West Side Story" from Musicians Publications and it came with extra trombone and tuba parts.  Jack Gale told me that they were included because of really lousy page turns and were intended to be used to cut and paste sections to make it playable.
ttf_anonymous
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Post by ttf_anonymous »

Quote from: "BGuttman"You are allowed to make one copy for personal use, but if you start selling the copies for all your friends, be prepared to take some time in the "slammer".

Yeah...right. If they catch you.

It'd be pretty stupid for someone to start selling the music, but some people make copies of music for friends to have.
ttf_Todd Jonz
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copyrights

Post by ttf_Todd Jonz »

Bruce writes:

> You are allowed to make one copy for personal use

I don't believe this ever came up during our extended copyright discussion last year, and it's news to me.  Upon reading your post above I searched Google and found lots of pages that contained the assertion that this is permitted under copyright law.  But try as I might, I haven't been able to find anything  suporting this in my copy of  the U.S. Copyright Law.  It's not mentioned in section 107, which addresses fair use, nor can I find the phrases "one copy" or "personal use" anywhere in the document.

Can you cite an authoritative source supporting this assertion?  If so, I'd like to update my personal copy of the FAQ posted above (for which I still hope to find a properly supported home on some site or other.)
ttf_Woolworth
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Post by ttf_Woolworth »

Thought I'd dredge this up again.

I'm sure everyone will be thrilled to note that 6-10 March is Copyright Awareness Week. Sarcasm aside, the website associated with the "celebration" has a lot of good information, most of it in plain English instead of legalese.

http://www.csusa.org/caw/caw_2006_home.htm
ttf_bhcordova
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Post by ttf_bhcordova »

The exception you are looking for is in the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Sony Corp of Amer. v. Universal City Studios

Please be aware that the internet is not considered a broadcast medium.  And that the copyrights associated with it are under the digital portion of the act which prohibits all unlicensed copying.
ttf_Todd Jonz
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Post by ttf_Todd Jonz »

I just read a recent count decision concerning fair use that I thought perhaps some of my fellow armchair copyright lawyer wannabes might find interesting.  In Graham v. Dorling Kindersley Limited the defendant published a book containing images of posters promoting Grateful Dead concerts.  The owner of the rights to these poseters sued for copyright infringement and the defendant claimed fair use.  A district court decided in favor of the defendant, and in the decision linked above an appellate court upholds the lower court's decision.

Since I tend to be pretty conservative when interpreting copyright law, I would have considered the defendant's actions to have infringed on the plaintiff's rights.  I found it very interesting to follow the court's logic as it evaluated the defense's fair use argument using the four factors that determine fair use under U.S. copyright law: (1) the purpose and character of the use; (2) the nature of the copyrighted work; (3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and (4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
ttf_anonymous
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Post by ttf_anonymous »

QuoteSince I tend to be pretty conservative when interpreting copyright law, I would have considered the defendant's actions to have infringed on the plaintiff's rights.
I think the ruling had a lot to do with the fact that the posters were reproduced at a limited size. Fair use exceptions allow for quoting portions of a copyrighted work for the purposes of review or commentary. I forget what the case was but there was a ruling that, in the context of images, a reproduction at a reduced size or detail is  considered a "quotation." This is the reason that services like Google's image search exist. They only cache low resolution thumbnails of the images they link to. However, Google recently ran into trouble in the form of a lawsuit from a company that sells wallpaper for cell phones. Low resolution thumbnails is basically what they sell, so instead of Google's thumbnails being a "quotation" of the copyrighted work, they constituted the entirety of that work. Google lost the case, though they are in the process of appealing the ruling.

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39253737,00.htm
ttf_Todd Jonz
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Post by ttf_Todd Jonz »

Of potential interest to my fellow armchair lawyers in the crowd:  MIT, in conjunction with the OpenCourseWare Consortium, has made available a free, online short course (originally offered during MIT's four-week Independent Activities Period) entitled Introduction to Copyright Law.  You can check out the syllabus and reading list before downloading the course materials, which include four two-hour video lectures.  I haven't explored these materials in any detail yet, but I fully intend to do so when I have the time to devote to them.

Kudos to MIT for making these materials available to the world at no cost under a Creative Commons license.  My alma mater stopped offering online courses when the commercial AllLearn consortium with which it was affiliated failed to turn a profit after five years of doing business and was dissolved.
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Post by ttf_Paul Martin »

Todd,


Can an arranger also have a copyright in a derivative work?  If so, it suggests that there is an underlying copyright in a musical composition, which may or may not still be valid, as well as a copyright in an arrangement of that work, which may or may not still be valid, correct?

I'm asking because an estate is trying to sell 400+ arrangements of big band standards.  Assuming that these arrangements are themselves original (i.e., not merely transcriptions from recordings, or copies of someone else's arrangements), and that nobody has published them, then that suggests that the estate may have a copyright in the arrangements, notwithstanding that none of the arrangements indicate any sort of "copyright," and that so might the original composer.

Is this a correct view?


Regards,


Paul Martin



ttf_Todd Jonz
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Post by ttf_Todd Jonz »

Paul asks:

> Can an arranger also have a copyright in a derivative work?

Yes, but the creator of a derivative work holds only those rights granted to him by the creator of the original work.

If I wish to publish my arrangement of a tune you composed, I must first obtain your permission to do so.  We would negotiate terms like who gets the revenue generated by my arrangement (in common practice I think you would get most, if not all, of it), what sub-licensing rights I have (probably none, other than the right of assignment over whatever other rights I manage to negotiate), performance rights, recording rights, etc.  And all of this would be documented in a formal legal agreement, the cost of which would probably cover two or three months of mortgage payments on our attorneys' condos in Vail.

> I'm asking because an estate is trying to sell
> 400+ arrangements of big band standards.

If the arrangements are known to be unauthorized (e.g. written for the local big band without the composer's permission), then the estate really has no rights to sell; all they have to sell is the charts themselves, and what a purchaser could legally do with them is questionable.  He certainly would have no right to publish them, and even playing them with the local big band might be a violation of copyright law, albeit a low-risk one (which is why local bands play their own unauthorized arrangements all the time.)

If the estate claims that they are authorized arrangements, I'd ask to see the documentation verifying that claim before I'd consider buying. Rights may only be conveyed in writing under copyright law; no docs, no sale.  If I did purchase the arrangements, I would only be buying those rights expressly conveyed to the arranger by the composer.

(And since it's been a while since this thread has been active, I'll remind everyone that I am not a lawyer and there's no reason anyone should assume I know what I'm talking about.)
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Post by ttf_Joe Jackson »

Quote from: Todd Jonz on Jan 11, 2007, 07:52PMPaul asks:

> Can an arranger also have a copyright in a derivative work?

Yes, but the creator of a derivative work holds only those rights granted to him by the creator of the original work.

If I wish to publish my arrangement of a tune you composed, I must first obtain your permission to do so. 
Yes, technically one has to get written permission before even writing an arrangement of a non-public-domain song that is written by someone else.  Verbal permission is not even enough.

Of course, in the commercial music world, understand that common practice is that nobody pays any attention to most of these rules.  People write arrangements and rarely, if ever, get permission to perform them on gigs or trade them with their friends.  And I have never heard of anyone getting in trouble for it, even when the performance is for large numbers of people or even when it is broadcast live on radio or television (for no pay).

Where most commercial musicians tend to start paying attention is when they want to record the music for sale or for broadcast, or when they want to sell the charts.  That's the time in the commercial world where licensing generally comes into play.
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Post by ttf_Todd Jonz »

Joe writes:

> nobody pays any attention to most of these rules.  People write
> arrangements and rarely, if ever, get permission to perform them
> on gigs or trade them with their friends.

I think you've captured the essence of most of the contributions to this thread, Joe.  IMHO it all boils down to this:  should I live like a saint and ask, "Is this absolutely legal?" or should I live in the real world and ask, "What is my risk exposure if I make a minor violation?"  For the sake of argument I frame my posts here from the perspective of the saint, but if you read between the lines there's usually some commentary from an experienced sinner.  Image

It's one thing if Paul is considering buying these arrangements to play with his local big band, and another matter altogether if he is interested in publishing them.

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Post by ttf_anonymous »

Righto - I've never heard of a cover band, party band, wedding band pay dues, ascap licensing, or anything along those lines.  Nor have I ever heard of one getting sued, even if it is technically a violation of copyright law.

I think most musicians realize that those types of performances actually increase their exposure, and ultimately revenue.
But... when someone claims something as their own for own with the intent of selling it, then the lawdogs come out to play.

ttf_Piano man
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Post by ttf_Piano man »

Quote from: Dennis K. on Jan 12, 2007, 10:48AMRighto - I've never heard of a cover band, party band, wedding band pay dues, ascap licensing, or anything along those lines.  Nor have I ever heard of one getting sued, even if it is technically a violation of copyright law.

But... when someone claims something as their own for own with the intent of selling it, then the lawdogs come out to play.


I always assumed my cover bands were covered by the venue's ASCAP license, and I make the reverse assumption as a club owner.  If not, what am I paying for?

Of course, that wouldn't cover a band playing a casual in a home or hall.

QuoteI think most musicians realize that those types of performances actually increase their exposure, and ultimately revenue.
That reminds me of an odd story.  I was playing in Pocatello, ID in the mid-eighties.  The band Heart had just released a sort of comeback album.  Our singer loved Heart so we did three or four songs off of it.  Lo and behold, Heart showed up at the gig!  They were playing at some sort of dome in Pocatello, and were staying at the motel we were playing at!  They came in after their show, and were very thrilled that cover bands were playing their tunes.   Selling albums is one thing, but when you're getting covered in bars, you've really made it.  They hung out with us for a while and were nice folks.
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Post by ttf_Todd Jonz »


Piano man writes:

> I always assumed my cover bands were
> covered by the venue's ASCAP license

I've raised this question before but never really gotten an answer:  if the venue's license covers the original work, is it technically a violation to perform an unauthorized arrangement?  The only situation I can imagine in which this might be a problem for the copyright holder would be if I wrote a really bad arrangement that might poison the well and damage the sales of authorized arrangements. 


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Post by ttf_Piano man »

Quote from: Todd Jonz on Jan 12, 2007, 11:32AMPiano man writes:

> I always assumed my cover bands were
> covered by the venue's ASCAP license

I've raised this question before but never really gotten an answer:  if the venue's license covers the original work, is it technically a violation to perform an unauthorized arrangement?  The only situation I can imagine in which this might be a problem for the copyright holder would be if I wrote a really bad arrangement that might poison the well and damage the sales of authorized arrangements. 

That's brutal.  Using the 'poisoned well' theory, I've been in bands that deserved to be sued by every artist we covered.
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Post by ttf_anonymous »

I'm not sure if it's different up here in Canada or not, but when I rented a hall for my wedding last year, the licensing fee we had to pay explicitly stated it was for live and recorded music.

Out of curiosity I asked what if everything was original compositions that I owned the rights to (not that I could/would have done this of course) but I was told the hall wasn't prepared to police that so I had to pay the fee either way.
ttf_Joe Jackson
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Post by ttf_Joe Jackson »

Quote from: Piano man on Jan 12, 2007, 11:06AMI always assumed my cover bands were covered by the venue's ASCAP license, and I make the reverse assumption as a club owner.  If not, what am I paying for?I'm not really the expert, but I believe the question is whether there is a written chart or not.

If a band is covering a tune by ear, with no written parts, then the only licensing that applies are the performance rights that should be included in the ASCAP agreement obtained by the venue.

If there is a written chart with any standard notated parts then you are "fixing" an arrangement to paper and technically a transcription license must be obtained.  As I indicated in the popular music world this is a license which is pretty much unknown, in fact most publishers won't even know what you're talking about if you try to obtain permission to write an arrangement you intend to simply perform and not distribute.

From the "intellectual property saint" POV, even transcribing a Frank Rosolino solo needs permission from his estate, even if you never intend to distribute or sell the transcription.

Fortunately for us, military bands have in Title 10 an exemption to performance licensing - we can perform any music we want without fear of legal action by the owners of the compositions.  However the "right to arrange" license unfortunately is something that Air Force legal has gotten ahold of and is making things very difficult at the Air Force Band right now because legal is insisting we get permission before we arrange any non-public-domain music.

Intellectual property law in the United States is pretty much out of control, IMO...
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Post by ttf_anonymous »

QuoteIntellectual property law in the United States is pretty much out of control, IMO...Not if you happen to be the composer/original artist.

Cover bands like the ones that play in cheap hotel bars are one thing.  The Airmen of Note is in a sustantially different league.  You guys are what most people would consider "High Profile."  On any given day, you could find yourselves playing for a nationally televised audience with the President shaking hands and giving ya'll a warm round of applause.
Of course, the band does not make a dime, as your performances and recordings are free - or rather, publicly funded.  But, I can see where a composer that is not in the AoN would want to be compensated for their work.
Without a doubt, the AoN is great exposure for talent, artists and composers.  Well, most professionals in those categories do not produce or create for "exposure."  Should not the publicly funded taxpayer contribution that makes up your compensation also be extended to the creative talent?  If not, it seems that the creative services have been conscripted, in a way.
I suspect I am not aware of all the details, but that Title 10 exemption seems to commandeer intellectual property withou any compensation.
Could you fill in some details?
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Post by ttf_Todd Jonz »


The Guardian writes:

> I'm not sure if it's different up here in Canada or not

Canadian copyright law may be taking a turn for the worse.  If pending legislation is passed, it may soon be illegal for you to rip a CD to an iPod or record a TV program.... 
ttf_Piano man
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Post by ttf_Piano man »

Intellectual property laws are absolutely out of control.

There used to be a balance between the public good and the rights of creators (which are also part of the public good.  If you don't protect creation, people will create less).

The balance has swung way against common sense.  Disney has commandeered copyright law to prevent Mickey Mouse from entering public domain, so little of value has entered public domain lately.  As was noted earlier, Happy Birthday is still copyrighted.  Banks can now place patents on the way they arrange their lines. 

There have always been things that could plainly be copied.  If I suddenly discovered I could make more money if my servers wore red velvet coats, I wouldn't expect to be able to copyright that idea, but I can't guarantee it wouldn't be accepted in the current climate. Before long, an Indy racer will be able to patent a driving technique or a stripper will patent a dance move.

The ultimate ********--tax preparers can patent tax advice!  Yes, indeed.  If you arrive at a sufficiently baroque interpretation of tax law, or a fiendishly deceptive tax-avoidance investment plan, you can patent it!  Never mind that the attorney is technically giving advice on how to obey the law, which we should all be privy to--once someone patents that advice, it ceases to be generally available.  Never mind that tax compliance is potentially a criminal matter--you can still patent the advice you give your clients.

The next step will be to patent criminal defense strategies.  If you can't pay the royalty for the first guy who thought one up, you go to prison.

If you think intellectual property laws are being abused, you're right.  We should go back to the limitations that were placed on them fifty years ago, and add in the adjustments that were made for new technologies. 
ttf_Joe Jackson
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Post by ttf_Joe Jackson »

QuoteIntellectual property law in the United States is pretty much out of control, IMO...Quote from: Dennis K. on Jan 13, 2007, 03:43PMNot if you happen to be the composer/original artist.
Well, yes I am a composer and it is still my opinion!  Image

Dennis, did you read my post?  The law states you cannot write an arrangement, even if it never sees the light of day, unless you get a license - a license you cannot get. 

I don't care if you are a composer, arranger or performer - I'm all three and THAT is ridiculous.

QuoteCover bands like the ones that play in cheap hotel bars are one thing.  The Airmen of Note is in a sustantially different league. You guys are what most people would consider "High Profile." 
Whether a band is a known band or not is not relevent to whether they are required to obtain licensing to arrange or perform or record or broadcast non-public-domain songs.  The law requires everyone to comply.  Do you, Dennis?  Have you ever scribbled out the head of an ellington tune?

I know when I was about 14 I wrote a little four bone arrangement of "'A' Train" and stacked the tracks on my dad's reel to reel recorder.  According to the text of the law, I should have obtained a license before doing that.  Prima Facie insanity, and nothing any reputable musician has ever supported.  All a creation of media corporations and their legal teams and lobbyists.

This is the kind of garbage our well-meaning unions support.

QuoteOf course, the band does not make a dime, as your performances and recordings are free - or rather, publicly funded.  But, I can see where a composer that is not in the AoN would want to be compensated for their work.
Yes, many seem to want to squeeze the music for a few drops of money these days.  I think it's pathetic.

Quoteprofessionals in those categories do not produce or create for "exposure." 
I do not agree.  True musicians create music for pure expression, for communication, and what exposure does is raise the stakes on the level of expression an artist can attain.  The money is made by performing and receiving royalties when other artists perform your work live and on CDs and in broadcasts.

But getting a right just to arrange a song?  I have not encountered anyone in the music business that thinks this is somehow a good thing.

QuoteShould not the publicly funded taxpayer contribution that makes up your compensation also be extended to the creative talent?
It does.  We pay tens of thousands of dollars each year and untold man-hours researching and paying licensing for our recordings and broadcasts.  What I am talking about is right to arrange so I'm not sure where you're coming from.

QuoteIf not, it seems that the creative services have been conscripted, in a way.
I suspect I am not aware of all the details, but that Title 10 exemption seems to commandeer intellectual property withou any compensation.
Could you fill in some details?All I can really tell you that the Constitutional exemption that protects national symbols from litigation predates modern intellectual law, and trumps it.  I'm afraid if you want more information you need to either study law for about thirty years or cough up 30 or 40 grand to get a legal opinion.   Image

RTA only attacks the music.  It does not provide any money for composers.

People are losing sight of the big picture.  The body of composition out there is infinite.  If this continues it's going to get to the point where nobody can create anything without having a team of lawyers and researchers on hand to ensure it has not been done before.  The world would be a much better place if the money was out of the music business.  And yes that includes me.
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Post by ttf_anonymous »

I'd just like to point everybody to what I thought was an excellent book on the topic:

Free Culture, by Lawrence Lessig

I don't necessarily find myself agreeing with all his views, but definitely most of them. It's more of a manifesto than a catalog of dos and don'ts of copyright law, though. He lays out the changes in copyright law over the last several hundred (!) years in a very followable format, and makes very esoteric legal arguments in understandable terms. It's mostly dedicated to copyright law as it pertains to things like Napster and filesharing, but it still touches on some of the points we're discussing here, especially Joe's point that copyright law is all messed up. Especially the parts about needing a team of lawyers to write anything new: one of the overarching points is that the way copyright law is headed, it will stifle important new avenues of creativity.
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Post by ttf_anonymous »

Thanks for filling in some blanks, Joe.
QuoteThe law states you cannot write an arrangement, even if it never sees the light of day, unless you get a license - a license you cannot get.Agreed - But, this is completely un-enforceable, unless the perpetrator is doing it on a large commercial scale, and the music is actually seeing the light of day.

The "license to arrange" is no big deal.  I don't know of very many people that arrange solely for their own enjoyment, or play only in their sound-proof room and braodcast it to themselves over a closed internent connection.  Most people want their stuff "out there."  There is an arrangement license, a print license, a mechanical license, a performance license - they all cover different aspects of commercial performance.  I don't think anyone cares if you arranged something when you were 14.  No judge would ever even hear that case.  If you were in one of the Boy Bands du jour and released it and sold 1,000,000 CD's, that would be different. 
QuoteWe pay tens of thousands of dollars each year and untold man-hours researching and paying licensing for our recordings and broadcasts.
Good!  I must have misunderstood - I thought the Title 10 exemption released the AoN from this.
It makes sense for national symbols.  Are the AoN or the other DC Bands considered National Symbols?  I can see how that should protect the bands from getting sued for frivolous lawsuits or someone (like a band memeber) claiming a particular performance as their own intellectual property.  If you guys decided not to pay royalties and licensing fees, would a composer or publisher have any recourse?

QuoteThe world would be a much better place if the money was out of the music businessI am in complete agreement here, Joe.  We both know that is a pipe dream.

The spirit of intellectual property law is pretty simple.  If someone is going to make money from my creativity and talent, I deserve to be compensated.  Likewise, I have an ethical obligation to not knowingly steal someone else's creativity. pretty simplistic, but it works until money changes hands.

I know it gets sticky.  I have a big piece for orchestra that will never see the light of day.  Thank you Hal Leonard.  Seems the money (that would be, the publishers) won't talk to you unless you are a "big name."  Too bad - I had about 20 church's ready to buy before it was even done.
Ran into something with a choral group I contract for - They did a world premiere of a big piece by a well known composer.  The publisher (a big one) wants to use the archive recording for publicity.  The musicians just got their per service rate.  Fortunately the conductor told the publisher "not unless you compensate the musicians."  The publisher said "we always use college groups for free."  Commercial use of a live performance... Oy Vay!  That' a whole nother thread...
Joe, awhile back, you started a thread - "The Anatomy of a Gig."  I would be very interested in hearing about how the  AoN handles all the licensing stuff.  If Wynton Marsallis were to guest-artist with the band, how would he be compensated?  What if the performance were recorded for archive or actual release? - I'm sure you have actually dealt with a lot more realities than my hypotheticals.  Just curious.
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Post by ttf_Joe Jackson »

Quote from: Dennis K. on Jan 14, 2007, 12:26PMThanks for filling in some blanks, Joe.Agreed - But, this is completely un-enforceableAgreed.  My basic point though is that the laws themselves, read strictly, are out of balance - I suspect we are in agreement.

QuoteThe "license to arrange" is no big deal.  I don't know of very many people that arrange solely for their own enjoyment, or play only in their sound-proof room and braodcast it to themselves over a closed internent connection.  I know lots of people who write for their own enjoyment or for face-to-face performance in educational setting.  And practically everyone I knew in college transcribed solos.

QuoteI thought the Title 10 exemption released the AoN from this.Military bands are exempt from needing to obtain performance rights for live performances (the rights paid by venues to ASCAP, etc. in the civilian world).

QuoteIt makes sense for national symbols.  Are the AoN or the other DC Bands considered National Symbols?Our live performances have come to be considered national symbols.  Back in the day military band performances were limited to GI-to-GI performances (read:ceremonies and battlefield buglers), as well as certain public performances: funerals, national funerals and parades.  But as the scope of military band performances broadened over the 20th century, case law and amendments to title 10 have evolved to include any live performance by a military band.

QuoteI can see how that should protect the bands from getting sued for frivolous lawsuits or someone (like a band memeber) claiming a particular performance as their own intellectual property.  If you guys decided not to pay royalties and licensing fees, would a composer or publisher have any recourse?The exemption only applies to performance rights, not right to arrange, publishing, recording, or broadcast licenses.

QuoteJoe, awhile back, you started a thread - "The Anatomy of a Gig."  I would be very interested in hearing about how the  AoN handles all the licensing stuff.  If Wynton Marsallis were to guest-artist with the band, how would he be compensated?  What if the performance were recorded for archive or actual release? Funny you mention it, the reason I am up on all of this is because we have recorded all of the Jazz Heritage Series (http://www.usafband.com/right_intro_jazz.cfm) this past season and we are currently producing the recordings as live broadcasts.

The artist gets paid whatever rate we negotiate with him or her.  This year the contract signed by the artists (Junior Mance, Slide and Phil Woods) includes an agreement for us to distribute the recording for broadcast and includes the particular scope of the distribution, etc.  Then we have to contact the holders of the copyright for each tune.  In many cases we are simply not able to contact the copyright holder - in this event we may or may not decide to proceed with the distribution in any case since we have made a good faith effort.  The fees charged by the copyright holders vary widely.

What does not vary is the response we get as it relates to the ownership of the copyrights for the music we record and broadcast.  If the copyright holder is a musician and the original composer, they are almost universally happy and enthusiastic for us to arrange and perform their music because they understand that we are musicians and we respect their work and that our use of their work represents further expression of their music for them.  The musicians rarely want money.

The large corporate publishing companies represent the other end of the spectrum.  They are not in the least interested in music and they certainly are not interested in musicians.  That's not bitterness, it's the facts.  The big publishing companies would rather poison their own well by having a poor and cheap arranger who will accept 5% or proceeds do arrangements of the jazz classics they own than have one of the best arrangers in America, Alan Baylock, breathe new life into it and make a contribution to the history of the song.

History is replete with examples of musicians who have, through coercion, sold their work to big publishers, and lose complete control of their work.  This commodisation of music is very bad for human culture and certainly is one (only one) cunterindication to the future viability of the whole concept of "intellectual property."
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Post by ttf_Todd Jonz »

Joe writes:

> History is replete with examples of musicians who have,
> through coercion, sold their work to big publishers,
> and lose complete control of their work.

This describes so-called "orphaned" works, a case about which Lawrence Lessig is currently arguing before, I believe, a federal appellate court on its way to the Supremes.

Let's say I'm lucky enough to get a publisher to publish an original work of mine or my arrangement of a tune in the public domain.  In the agreement we write the publisher insists that I, as the owner of the copyright, grant him exclusive publication rights.  The work brings in some revenue for a while, but sales eventually slow to a trickle (especially if it's, say, a trombone quartet, for which there's a limited market in the first place.)  When the inventory of the first edition is exhausted, the publisher decides it would not be in his best financial interest to issue a second edition, and my work goes out of print.

My work has now been orphaned.  I'd like to see it in circulation, perhaps there are others who would like to get their hands on a copy, but I cannot legally produce or sell these copies myself.  The works of Tommy Pederson, a prolific composer of wonderful trombone ensemble music, fall into this category and have been discussed at some length in another thread.

I'm with Joe -- the system is broken alright....

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Post by ttf_anonymous »

It seems that the system is broken primarily with the big publishers.  Hence the rise of self-publishing, like me.
Typical royalty contracts allow you to live slightly below the national poverty level if you have 1000 pieces in the catalog and they are all good sellers.
Anecdotally, that has more to do with the "mystique" of publishing than actual legislation.  Publishers say "we market, promote, and print it for you."  And they do, as long as you are one of the big names.
Then comes the 1000's of little guys who may be great arrangers, but have to sign away 90% of their creation in order for any publisher to even consider them.
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Post by ttf_The Guardian »

I wish Copyright worked somewhat like how patents are supposed to work... if you don't use them, you lose them...

Modify it slightly for Copyrights so that if rights are sold and then not used they can revert back to the original owner... Also after the owner's death they are covered for xx years unless they are not used in which case they become public domain.

"Not Used" would have to be an appropriate amount of time whether than be 5 or 10 years or whatever.
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Post by ttf_Todd Jonz »

Dennis writes:

> It seems that the system is broken primarily with the big publishers.

I think the system became seriously broken when Congress eliminated the requirement that copyrights be registered sometime back in the '70s.  Without a registry, it's virtually impossible to determine who holds what rights to many works.  That's where a lot of the problems in the system originate.

The Guardian writes:

> I wish Copyright worked somewhat like how patents are
> supposed to work...if you don't use them, you lose them

This has been proposed by the likes of Lessig and the good folks at Creative Commons.  The problem is convincing Congress to act, which they're not in a big hurry to do in light of the sums contributed to their campaign coffers by the entertainment cartel.  And with "Hollywood Howard" Berman as the new chair of the House intellectual property committee, I don't expect to see any radical changes to U.S. copyright law any time in the near future.

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Post by ttf_Paul Martin »

Quote from: The Guardian on Jan 15, 2007, 09:11AMI wish Copyright worked somewhat like how patents are supposed to work... if you don't use them, you lose them...

Modify it slightly for Copyrights so that if rights are sold and then not used they can revert back to the original owner... Also after the owner's death they are covered for xx years unless they are not used in which case they become public domain.

"Not Used" would have to be an appropriate amount of time whether than be 5 or 10 years or whatever.


It would seem that a much more limited number of years of use would make sense, I can't see much of a difference in terms of quality between an item that can be patented, versus one that can be copyrighted; the idea of a company sitting on a copyright, but which cannot be bothered to republish a work, is fairly distasteful, and makes one question the motivation, which can only be commercial.  My first "swag" at a reason is that, unlike items which can be patented, which have a certain innate usefulness that will become obsolete when someone builds "a better mousetrap," copyrighted material is much more a matter of culture, taste, and accident: Mahler's works, for instance, fell out of favor for a long, long time, to where, at one point, his works were rarely played; keeping a long-term right to a copyright permits the holders to "cash in" on the creator's renewed popularity year's later (these days, for the 6-month period after a venerated but (over time) less popular musician dies, and people swarm to the musician's recordings).
ttf_BGuttman
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copyrights

Post by ttf_BGuttman »

There was a difference between U.S. copyright law and International copyright law; at one time the U.S. copyright was for 28 years renewable for 28 years.  International copyright law was for life of the author plus 50 years.

U.S. copyright law has been changing based on the Walt Disney company's need to keep Mickey Mouse out of Public Domain.  Walt created Mickey in 1928, so the original copyright would have passed into public domain in 1986.  But we have adopted the International copyright so that Mickey, whose creator died in 1966, would remain private property until 2016.  Disney is trying to pull the strings to extend even that.

The result is that works that should become public domain do not.  There are a multitude of abandoned works that might have a small following but are not available because the original copyright owner does not want to be bothered to print them nor allow them to be printed by somebody else.

In Patent Law there is a fee for maintaining patent coverage.  If the fee is not paid, the teachings of the patent revert to Public Domain.  I'd like to see the same thing for copyright.  Let Disney keep paying for Mickey to be theirs.  Let Graceland pay to keep Elvis theirs.  And if nobody wants to pay to keep the arrangement of Clay Smith's "The Satellite" under coverage, it becomes PD and we can all use it.  FWIW, the patent maintenance fee is quite small; I think it's $4.00 per 4 year period.
ttf_Todd Jonz
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copyrights

Post by ttf_Todd Jonz »

Found this C|Net article kinda interesting:  'Electric Slide' on slippery DMCA slope.  Nutshell: a guy creates a dance move in the '70s called the Electric Slide (?) and it passes into pop culture; he registers a copyright on his "choreography" in 2004, feuds with The Ellen DeGeneres Show over an episode in which some celebrities perform the move, and sends a DMCA takedown notice to YouTube for all videos depicting the move.

Paying a royalty to perform, say, Jerome Robbins' original choreagraphy for West Side Story is one thing, but this is just plain silly.  More evidence of a broken copyright system.

ttf_BGuttman
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copyrights

Post by ttf_BGuttman »

Quote from: Todd Jonz on Feb 03, 2007, 04:24PMFound this C|Net article kinda interesting:  'Electric Slide' on slippery DMCA slope.  Nutshell: a guy creates a dance move in the '70s called the Electric Slide (?) and it passes into pop culture; he registers a copyright on his "choreography" in 2004, feuds with The Ellen DeGeneres Show over an episode in which some celebrities perform the move, and sends a DMCA takedown notice to YouTube for all videos depicting the move.

Paying a royalty to perform, say, Jerome Robbins' original choreagraphy for West Side Story is one thing, but this is just plain silly.  More evidence of a broken copyright system.


Wait a minute.  He creates the "move" in the 1970's and applies for copyright in 2004?  I thought if you delay the registration process you lose the copyright!  You can't get a patent if you don't apply within some 5 years from the discovery!

Maybe Disney should think about it.  Make a minor modification to Mickey in 1940, and copyright it now so you have a new 70 years?
ttf_Todd Jonz
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copyrights

Post by ttf_Todd Jonz »


Bruce writes:

> I thought if you delay the registration process you lose the copyright!

Nope -- no registration required since the '70s.  Assuming a dance move can be copyrighted, he's held the copyright since creating the dance.  Registration merely makes his claim a matter of record, and is only really useful if you go to court.  You don't suppose that might have been what he had in mind when he registered, do you?  Image
ttf_anonymous
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copyrights

Post by ttf_anonymous »

I hereby copyright my alternate positions on Bolero.  If you play them, you must pay me royalties. Image
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