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Topic: Free online lessons breaking copyright laws? |
Tom Diemer
From:
Defiance, Ohio USA
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Posted 6 Jul 2007 2:45 pm |
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I just saw this article, thought I should post a FYI note to the forum. (hope this is the right place for it)
Seems the RIAA shut these guys down on Youtube, they claim a free guitar lesson that teaches any part of a copyrighted song is a violation.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11778602 |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 6 Jul 2007 4:09 pm
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| Quote: |
Quote from artical........
.........There's a very strong argument that the re-use of well-known chords in the sequence the instructor played them would be a violation of the copyright," Palfrey says. |
Now isn't this just a crock full of you know what. Playing a certain chord sequence now violates a copyright law?  Give me a friggen break.
I wonder if this also applies to the millions who play the old Hank Williams tunes and songs. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 6 Jul 2007 6:23 pm
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If in fact the instructor mentions the songs by name along with the artists and then plays them , he is in fact breaking copyright laws.
If he is just playing chords without mention of the song names or artists then I would agree that it is a crock.
this was a disaster waiting to happen.
I believe that the player was indeed mentioning artists and song names, and then playing the basic structure. I have not seen any of the clips but I have heard of the video's.
I'm actually somewhat surprised at how many video's are shown on YouTube without copyright approval. Artist approval is not "approval" unless the artist actually wrote the song. Performers do not own the rights, writers do along with publishers.
At the end of the day it does seem a bit odd to pull the video's as all they really do is promote the music at no cost.
Copyright Police, they are gonna get that 7 cents one way or the other I suppose. I could see if the fella was selling the lessons, but he wasn't, he was giving...
t |
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Tom Diemer
From:
Defiance, Ohio USA
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Posted 6 Jul 2007 6:39 pm
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I'm not so sure having all that free content that is obviously copyrighted on places like YouTube isn't just fueling the flames for these type cases.
I wonder how this would effect things like training tapes. I have several tapes and DVD's, a few of them do go through popular songs, show how to play them. Sounds like the people who sell them could be in a legal bind if the RIAA wanted to press it, which it sounds like they do. Also for sharing tab to popular songs. Seems like fair use should come into play somewhere, but the line keeps moving. |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 6 Jul 2007 7:16 pm
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| Brought to you by the nice folks who sued the Girl Scouts for singing 'Happy Birthday' around the campfire... |
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erik
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Posted 6 Jul 2007 9:01 pm
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If you want to learn how to play guitar, take lessons. If your teacher helps you learn a song during your lesson he's not publishing it for 40,000 others to benefit from it for free. Or, you can buy the books.
_________________
-johnson
Last edited by erik on 26 Aug 2007 4:03 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 6 Jul 2007 9:57 pm
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Another point that needs to be addressed then are those educational (teaching) CDs that profess to be teaching instrumental licks from famous songs.
I could name ten CDs on the market today that explains then demonstrates lead ins, bridges and breaks for hundreds of standard country hits. These teachers also mention the song, the vocalist and the musician he/she is trying to duplicate.
Can this be construed as copyright infringement as well?
How far is too far? |
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Ken Lang
From:
Simi Valley, Ca
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Posted 6 Jul 2007 10:11 pm
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I believe the copyright people are cutting off their noses. Some songs on YouTube probably get people who like the clip and want to buy the full CD, so there is 12 to 18 dollars in benefit for showing it.
And whose to say watching a how to clip might inspire a young musician to keep playing, therefor generating money for guitars purchased. Perhaps the kid will grow up to make CD's that become big hits and make them more money than they think some clip is costing them.
It's foolishness to block clips. So many playing around in their (they think) pond they can't stand the loss of control. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 7 Jul 2007 3:19 am
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IF you read the article that is posted way above, it states that folks can search a SONG NAME and the Guitar instructors video showed up.
aka: Someone searched Johnny B. Goode and the video to learn how to play it showed up.
I believe if a song name is stated in conversation nothing would have happened, but it appears the names of songs were used in the SEARCH TITLE of the video clips.
thats a NO NO...
Quite frankly, if the Instructor was that successful he could have linked everything to a personal website, set a very fair price, paid the royalties and still could have made a million bucks !
If he charged 3$ or $4 per lesson, paid the dues in segments as they sold, he could have been a rich man. You do not have to get a license for a million at one time , you can renew with added qty anytime you like.
there is no free lunch, and generally when things are free there is limited value, when folks PAY, even a few bucks, there is always more purpose and value to the transaction.
there is STILL a wide open untapped market on the Internet, even paying royalties to keep it all legal.
IF you build it, they will come.... |
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erik
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Posted 7 Jul 2007 6:02 am
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I found this site for lessons. First half free, second half $20. Not bad. You learn that stuff, presumably you have the audio copies of songs you want to learn, you do the rest by ear.
_________________
-johnson |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 7 Jul 2007 10:55 am
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Anyone care to make a prediction about how much of the money generated by these sorts of lawsuits is going to go to the lawyers & agents, vs. how much of the "recovered income" is going to end up with the real songwriters?  There are office buildings all over America chock-full of people trying to figure out how to make money without doing any real work at all.... |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 7 Jul 2007 2:46 pm
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David writes:
"There are office buildings all over America chock-full of people trying to figure out how to make money without doing any real work at all"
-----------------------------------------------------
ya think ?
I'm one of them  |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 9 Jul 2007 8:04 am
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| David Mason wrote: |
| "people trying to figure out how to make money without doing any real work at all...." |
I have had more than a few employees with that idea on the forefront of their minds. |
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