Ridiculous situation in music business - support needed!

Recently organisations such as PRS (Performing Rights Society) and others have been taking ridiculous action against the rights of musicians.

First, these companies have been closing down independant tab sites, and lyric sites, for "breach of copywright". Now, even worse, they are saying we are not by law allowed to play even a riff of an artists song to 1 other person, without being prosecuted - most probably fined!

The way round this is to pay royalties to PRS or other companies - but to pay royalties just to play your favourite songs is ridiculous.

They will probably target venues, guitar shops and public perfomers first - as has already happened:
http://www.macclesfield-express.co.uk/news/s/207/207169_its_a_fiddle.html

Please join with us to fight this ridiculous infringment of freedom fellow musicians and music lovers!

Here is our forum, set up to combat this:
http://musicagainstmoney.jconserv.net

Thanks!

boothy

 

I'm studying Music Industry Management at university and have spent almost an entire module of the course studying the PRS, so let me be the first to point out the bullshit your talking here.

Tab sites were people post their own inturpretations of an artist's work are fine, the tab sites that have been closed down have been reposting the acutal scores that have been printed, and are therefore in breech of copyright.

As for targeting venues and suchlike, if a venue has a PRS license than all is fine, if not than their in breech of the original artist's copyright.

Saying you think the PRS is a bad thing is crazy, you do realise that the PRS acutally collect royalties not for themselves, but for the aritsts? All the PRS require is a handling fee that is so small that its silly, and a ONE OFF payment of £50 for the artist to become a member. By wanting money not to go through the PRS your saying that you want to deprive the thousands of artists that are members of the Society of the royalities they are entitled to. So hey if you wanna rip off many of the artists who have written the songs you love go ahead, but at least do your research properly before spouting such shite, I can smell it from here

 

Actually I have done my research properly. Being a member of a tab site which was shut down temporarily for *gasp* "own interpretations"... and it is a fact that PRS are going to guitar shops and venues and asking for money if their customers play so much as a riff to a song.

What do you think happened to www.mxtabs.net?

 

Because those songs and riffs have been copyrighted by the original author, which is the artist (eg Greenday own the copyright to American Idiot). Venues are required to have a PRS license to even have a jukebox, as is ANYWHERE that plays music. Did you know that every single fast food place in the country, be it Mcdonalds, Burger King or whatever, has to have a PRS license if they want to play music? This all started in the 1800s when a group of composers were having a meal and hear their own works being played and they wernt being given anything for it so they refused to pay the bill. It wasnt some big businessman's idea, it was an organisation found By artists FOR artists. It doesnt cost a lot, and at the end of the day they do a lot of good and help artists get what their owed. The PRS is a non-profit organisation, the membership fees and the cut they take all goes towards keeping things running. As I said, if you want to rip off your favourite artists and see them not make money from what they do best, writting music for people like you that want to listen to it and play it, than carry on with you silly crusade. If you want artists done right and to earn money from their Work (emphasize on the word 'work', as many artists make a living souly off their music) than open your eyes a bit.

 

OK so your saying, that by a young kid learning a simple riff, lets say Smoke on the Water, and plays it to his mates, he is "ripping off the artist"? Of course he is...

 

Also, it's not just the PRS, it's the MPA aswell, they are the people behind the tab/lyric site thing, not the PRS.

The PRS are behind the royalties for playing a riff kinda idea.

 

Ah the good old Music Publisher's Accosiation, another non-profit organisation that looks after the Publishers themselves, who in turn are the ones that find ways for an artist's music to be used to generate money for the artist. Also the MPA is at the forfront of the war on music piracy on the internet, which has not only been losing money for the Big Bad Corporations before anyone starts on about it, but also loses money for the artists.

As for kids playing songs and riffs, no their not ripping off the artist. Put PUBLIC PERFORMANCE of a song without a license, wether someone acutally be playing it on an instrument in a music shop or it coming over the sound system in Mcdonalds, is illigal, and is so as to protect the rights of the artist. All the guy who owns the music shop in Macclesfield has ot do is buy a PRS license like every other music shop in the country. The little music shop in the town I live in has been open for 60 odd years and has a license, every branch of that chain of music stores that all artists love Soundcontrol has a PRS license for each of its stores, any pub landlord that knows what their doing has a PRS license even for a jukebox, never mind if they want to have bands on. Its all about protecting the rights of the artist, not making money for themselves. Hell I'm a musician myself and I think its a bloody great idea! If I ever wrote something good enough that it was played by other people or in shops or whatever and I was a PRS member I know I'd damn well want my fair share for something that I've created myself.

This isnt a recent thing, its been going on for over a century, so complaining about it now isnt gonna do any good anyway

 

It's not about paying licenses for bands on - I understand that aspect is needed! It's more the fact they want a license for customers playing so much as a riff while trying out their guitar!

And as for the MPA - so much for "interprated tabs"... that's all mxtabs.net had, now they have been shut down.

 

Just cause a website isnt loading up it doesnt mean its been shut down. Ever thought they might be having server problems? I've used Mxtabs for years and the website has gone down with the excate same error page before. If they were acutally being shut down the site wouldnt just disapear like that.

At the end of the day though dude playing a riff while trying out a guitar is still classed as public performance by the courts, and therefore a license is needed. Its the shop owner's problem if he cant be arsed to pay for it. If I go into a music shop I've not been to before I always make a point of checking for the 'PRS Licensed' sticker their supposed to have where it can be seen (lots of shops put it in the window). If they dont have one than I'll only play my own stuff while I'm trying something out

 

Because mxtabs.net used to have a message which said that the MPA had shut it down, and that it was trying to resolve the issue.

Whether it was permanantly shut down, or has been allowed to re-open, and is just having server problems, I don't know.

 

For the MPA to of shut it down, than someone will of posted acutal copyrighted scores on there and the site owners would of had to refuse to take it off and ensure that more copyrighted material wasnt posted up. If they were doing it purely cause people put tabs up than there wouldnt be any tab sites, something involving copyright issues will of come up

 

Actually, the only reason www.ultimate-guitar.com wasn't closed down, is because they chose to pay royalties for interpreted tabs... maybe you should get upto date?

 

And the MPA haven't shut it down - they were on the verge of doing so, when the owner shut it down himself. The reason being, when all of this rubbish has blown over, he can re-open it, whereas if it had been shut down by the MPA. he wouldn't have been able to by law.

 

I AM up to date, as I said I'm studying all this at university and I've got a subscription to Music Week (which is a music business news paper, I had it recommended by the CEO of Atlantic Records, Korda Marshall, when he came in to give a guest lecture). Believe me mate if somethings going on I know about it. Again with Ultimate Guitar someone will of posted copyrighted material up and claimed it as their own interpretation. Personally I would of just removed the offending tab and carried on as normal, but then I'm not the guy in charge of the site so its up to him/her i guess

 

Whers it say that then? I'm still just getting a 'cannot find server' page

 

That's because the site has been shut down, it doesn't exist. Because the MPA was going to shut it down.

I thought you said you used mxtabs.net? Ask anyone that does regularly... the MPA closed it temporarily, and on the verge of permanent, when the webmaster was forced to shut it down himself.

 

http://powertabs.net/ there... not fully closed down, just helluva a lot of previously legit content removed.

 

I do, but as I've been at university and dont have access to the Internet I've been out of the loop. What I'm saying is I want to see some form of proof that the guy has shut it down himself. Insted of taking the whole thing off he could of easily locked off hte rest of the site and left a message on the homepage saying whats happened.

Whats your qualifications for knowing so much about the industry and how it works apart from being someone that plays an instrument (presumably guitar) and visits tab sites?

 

Its the problem that people are just sticking stuff up and saying 'This is the song' or whatever they decide to write. It has to be made clear that it isnt an excate copy. I agree its crap but at the end of it its how the law works. I must admit though I hadnt seen the article that you just posted a link to (my Music Week subscription gets delivered to my uni address so I havent read the latest issue yet). One of my lecturers runs his own publishing company, be intresting to see what he has to say about this.

 

proof? go on powertabs.net - and ask a regular user... there is no official announcment about mxtabs anymore, as it has closed.