copyright

[Iain Purdon]

I understand these websites now have sophisticated software which can analyse music and identify it. I do not know where it will all end but there is a current uprising from copyright owners who want the royalties to which they claim they are entitled.

All our band's recordings are registered with MCPS. As to PRS, if you give a public performance of any bit of music they will be interested on behalf of composer, arranger and publisher and, if you have not consulted PRS, you are taking a risk. A private performance becomes public the moment it goes online.

I am not a legal expert but work enough in the world of music to be aware.

http://www.prsformusic.com/Pages/default.aspx is a useful read.

Hope this helps a bit

Iain

[AlanMcKillop]

Is the PRS licence the responsibility of the band/players/performers or the venue in which the performance takes place?
I seem to remember reading that someone refused to play in a venue which didn't have the proper licence.

[Iain Purdon]

I'm sure it's in the PRS FAQ section, Alan, but all the venues where we do gigs are licensed with PRS and we just play what we want.

[JimTidmarsh]

I've also had some copyright tags added of You Tube recordings from our local club - The Savage, Peace Pipe, Foot Tapper & Gomzales. I've just deleted them - it seemed the easiest thing to do.

[Gary Allen]

Its a pity they wont mute the ads on youtube,they seem to be getting longer too.

[roger bayliss]

I too had a similar thing with 4Shared so I took all mine down. Not had anything off UTube or Box file sharing ... yet !

[MeBHank]

Is the PRS licence the responsibility of the band/players/performers or the venue in which the performance takes place?
I seem to remember reading that someone refused to play in a venue which didn't have the proper licence.

I think I would do the same, Alan. To answer your question, it's the venue that's responsible. It makes for far less paperwork if the venue is in control. After a performance, the hirer of a venue is charged a small percentage of the income generated to cover the venues' PRS fees (in most instances, this is 3% of the ticket sales).

Regarding the current issue, it would seem that most music videos posted on YouTube are technically there illegally, unless you've written the tune yourself. This is the case even if you've simply set up a video camera at home and filmed yourself playing a Shadows tune. Technically, legally, the holder of the composer's copyright can take exception. I think that's what has happened on this occasion. Warner/Chappell must indeed own the composer's rights to The Savage. For some reason, they don't like it that musicians are recording and "publishing" their own versions on YouTube. This is in spite of the fact that the posters are not gaining money from their video projects, meaning Warner/Chappell are not actually losing any money themselves. What a joke.

To post your own version of a tune on YouTube legally, you need to pay for an MCPS license(!). The same goes for footage of gigs such as Shadowmania.

For now, I recommend everyone who encounters this issue do the same as Lee and use the dispute process. I'm not sure whether that will be the end of the issue for you, but until we know otherwise it's worth a try and a less drastic course of action than to take the whole video offline.

I've said it many times, and I'll say it again many times, but I'm fed up with things like red tape, personalities and politics getting in the way of the simple enjoyment of our favourite music. On this occasion, it's the red tape. And it's wound me right up.

J

[Hank2k]

I had Warner Chappell block one of my Videos from this country only, it was a Beegees/Boyzone song, sounds like they are on the warpath

[ecca]

When I was running a band it was as Justin said, the responsibility of the venue to provide the PRS licence .
If a venue didn't possess one then I would contact the local PRS people and pay it myself, it always pays to keep the right side of these people.

[roger bayliss]

Here is the PRS site and all info


http://www.prsformusic.com/Pages/default.aspx