a sports radio broadcast clip: legal in a song?

[deantaylor]

In one of my songs, there is a clip from the 1954 World Series (a famous catch by Willie Mays) as it was broadcast on radio. The song is being signed to a library. The library and I are trying to find a place where the law on broadcasting this clip in my song in film-tv-etc is clearly stated. Do you know where I can find it?My co-writer says it is so old that it is public domain, but he has no proof of that and can't remember where he downloaded it.You can listen to the song here if you want. Start at 3:00, the clip is at the end.http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_so ... 8333842The other option is to cut it out and end the song 'nicely' somehow. Marc Blackwell and Alexander Orest were kind enough to try an edit for me. This seems to work. Like it? http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_so ... hanks,Dean

[mazz]

Why not go back to the original session and just mute that track?That being said, I think you have enough guitar to loop that section a few times and then do a quick fade.In the future, you probably know now to check on these things before you put them in. The aesthetic, which is cool and fits the song, is not worth the risk, unfortunately!Good luck!Mazz

[deantaylor]

Thanks Mazz. I hear you on checking beforehand and the original session is lost forever. Loop and fade sounds like a good idea to try!!

[deantaylor]

I might go the safe route and remove the clip. Marc Blackwell was kind enough to try an edit for me. This seems to work. Like it?http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_so ... ID=8335981 But I'm not sure yet, I'd still like to find where the law is clearly stated on this. I'm striking out so far with my google searches. If you know where to look, let me know.

[suzdoyle]

Hey Dean;The book "Kohn on Music Licensing" 3rd Ed. By Al Kohn & Bob Kohn (all 1636 pages), has a section on "Electrical Transcription Licenses," part of which refers to radio broadcasts. It makes my eyes cross reading all the legal mumbo jumbo, but I think his chapter on this topic may well address the issue of using portions of a radio broadcast. Good luck!Suz

[deantaylor]

Thanks Suz,aaack! Your post alone makes me think I'll just go for the easy route of taking it out. I don't wanna spend too much effort researching it. Was hoping there was an easy answer. lol I don't think a show will want to use that part of the song anyway.Don't go to too much trouble on the chocolate bar .. but if one arrives I will ENJOY IT!!!DeanNov 12, 2009, 9:43pm, suzdoyle wrote:Hey Dean;The book "Kohn on Music Licensing" 3rd Ed. By Al Kohn & Bob Kohn (all 1636 pages), has a section on "Electrical Transcription Licenses," part of which refers to radio broadcasts. It makes my eyes cross reading all the legal mumbo jumbo, but I think his chapter on this topic may well address the issue of using portions of a radio broadcast. Good luck!Suz

[mojobone]

Usually, accounts and descriptions of games are owned by the league, even if they were originally broadcast on major radio/TV networks. (I'm certain this is the case with all NFL games) Contact the MLB licensing department at 201-751-8500 or by e-mail at mlbfootage@mlb.com. For this particular use, I'd expect a one-time fee would be appropriate, and it shouldn't cost all that much, given that it's just the audio.An even better option would be to re-create the sample-take a bat-crack from a video game you have lyin' around the house, run an announcer voice through some distortion and a band-limiter, add some crowd noise....you get the idea.

[deantaylor]

Nov 14, 2009, 11:09am, mojobone wrote:Usually, accounts and descriptions of games are owned by the league, even if they were originally broadcast on major radio/TV networks. (I'm certain this is the case with all NFL games) Contact the MLB licensing department at 201-751-8500 or by e-mail at mlbfootage@mlb.com. For this particular use, I'd expect a one-time fee would be appropriate, and it shouldn't cost all that much, given that it's just the audio.An even better option would be to re-create the sample-take a bat-crack from a video game you have lyin' around the house, run an announcer voice through some distortion and a band-limiter, add some crowd noise....you get the idea. Awesome Mojo. Gonna check on that!