DMCA question

[PatrickNew]

I am wanting to play music before and after my show, but I have recently become a bit nervous about the idea since You Tube took down half of my video's from last Christmas due to copyright issues. Has anyone else been having problems with You Tube videos or with any other copyright issues? What are people's thoughts on the broadcasting the music before and after the show in relation to copyright issues? Thanks!

Patrick

[Steven]

When you buy music (on a CD or from something like iTunes) it almost always includes a license to play that music in a non-commercial manner, i.e. home use.

The courts generally recognize that this gives you the right to play the music at or around your home for your family and friends.

Since the people around your house have been essentially "invited" there by you, and they are not being charged money to be there, and they are not listening to advertisments, then it can be said that they are all your "friends".

Therefore, you are playing music around your house for a group of your friends. This is covered under the license you purchased with the music.

IANAL, but I believe you should have no fears whatsoever of playing music before, during, and after your show. That is assuming, of course, that you actually purchased the music. You did, didn't you?

[SBontempo]

Hi Patrick, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. I've been following the whole RIAA vs. the People of the world since it's inception and their main priority has shifted from suing individual people to going after college students by the masses. The whole thing was never about illegally downloading music even though they say it was. It was all about sharing or making songs available to others over the Internet. I can understand their position on trying to keep the artists paid even though they pay the artists very little for the recordings themselves.

Generally speaking, what you'll be doing is no different than going into a restaurant that plays a local radio station or other types of music. Their business isn't based on that music so they get away with it. You are allowed to broadcast your own playlist around your house whenever you want. That is why there are so many "whole house" transmitters on the market today. People enjoy their wireless freedoms!

I believe that the trouble you had with youtube was a show of force by the RIAA. Every once in a while, they send out lists of their copyrighted songs to sites like youtube, myspace, or facebook. In all likelyhood, you used the name of the song in your video title or description which is how they found your videos. They don't have the resources to view all of the videos, so they do searches against the names of copyright listings and remove them.

Bottom Line here is that if you're not charging people to come over and look at your lights and handing out or selling CDs of all of your songs then I think you'll be fine. Also, if you happen to know any good copyright lawyers, you could ask them.

Steve

[ShowProKevin]

PatrickNew wrote:

I am wanting to play music before and after my show

I don't mean to hijack this thread...well yeah I do. Anyway, by what method are you going to play music between shows. I have wanted to do this in past years but havn't really though of a way to do it. Will you just put musical sequences without events into the show editor?