TAXI.com

2 questions for anyone interested....

I unfortunately am working during the time that Taxi TV is on live, but I enjoy watching the reruns as I can.

Yesterday I watched the episode with Steven and Chuck and found it very interesting. I thought it was a great show.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/39634017

A few questions I came away with were the following and I'd be interested in anyone's input.

First, if I understood what they said at the end of the show correctly, I think they said they don't copyright. Did I hear that right? Michael sounded surprised himself. As I have been writing more and more, I have often wondered about how do we keep up with copyrighting everything we do. If we are writing 2, 3, 4 songs a week, that can really turn into a lot of money to keep up (like $500 a month). Or, am I not supposed to be talking about this because nobody wants to say they don't copyright ? But I think Steven and Chuck just came out and said it.

Secondly, a question about loops. I use Toontracks' Superior Drummer extensively. I use Reason when I am doing certain types of music. I have also recently purchased Toontracks' EZ Keys which I mostly expect to use for either ideas or for fill in piano parts if they sound better than what I can play myself. In a few instances, I have used Band in a Box to create certain instrument parts. With the exception of Superior Drummer, or when I use Reason, I usually do my own playing. When I check websites and make calls to manufacturers and ask about these things, I always hear that once I have purchased these programs (and I have), I can freely use whatever is created. Michael brought Apple Loops into question as far as using them too directly. This again prompted some internet searching on the things I use (Apple Loops is not one of them), and again I come up with it sounding like once we own these things, we can do whatever is useful for us with them, Royalty Free, for any purpose (which I would think includes having them used in the movie or tv areas). Am I missing something here? Opinions or better yet, any definitive information about using loops??

Thanks,

Bob P.

As far as using loops goes, there's no one right answer. The only way to know for sure is to check the licenses issued by the loop authors either by finding the license in their documentation or online or by contacting them. It's really a case by case basis. Something to watch for is how loop vendors handle production music. In production music you are often asked to provide alternate mixes (also known as "stems" in some circles). These mixes can often break down so far as to leave a loop isolated for some amount of time. Some vendors require that there be two or more elements present along with their loops. So be aware of this when doing alt mixes. One of my clients mentions this up front in their specs and if you have a situation like this in an alt mix then you simply don't include that mix in your submission.

As far as Superior Drummer goes, those loops are MIDI loops and are very easy to modify to make them your own (an extra snare hit or two and a cymbal crash on a straight rock track, who cares). On the other hand, audio loops often need more work to tweak them to give them your own spin. I highly recommend playing around and editing audio loops anyway. Using a stock Apple Loop unadorned and unedited screams "lazy composer" who doesn't take pride in his/her work. It's not worth pinning reputation on. This is a very "first impression" based business and you only get one chance as they say!

Also, most publishing contracts state that you are responsible for the originality of your pieces, so don't flirt with that liability, it's not worth it.


Hope this helps!

Mazz

Mazz,

Thanks for the input and a start to understanding this better. Hopefully, between investing more time on the forum, and going to the Road Rally this year, I'll begin to get a better handle on what I need to know to avoid some of the pitfalls you pointed out.

Thanks,

Bob P.

I don't know. Not copyrighting music seems to be too much of a risk. Formal documentation can help to mitigate a lot of unforeseen issues in the future. Better safe than sorry.

Some do - some don't - regardless of if you have to or not, I like a paper trail, but tend to register multiple tracks at a time as part of a catalog . Really beats doing them 1 at a time, and saves $$.

You can wait and copyright a ton of songs at once for one fee if you are the sole writer..

so If I and have the same writers on a group of songs it will cost 35 bucks to copyright a group of those songs, no matter how many..

but if you are signing these songs exclusively and that publisher says they then own the song forever then they will copyright it... so no need to do it right away

just keep track of when you wrote it in a spreadsheet and wait a while to see where the song finds a home... then you can think about it...

The main reason to copyright in the US is to get lawyer support when you want to sue copyright violators. The copyright law (aka The Berne Convention) is International (also valid in the US), and says that your work is copyrighted per default. No external organization can make it more copyrighted. BUT, in the US you have made some elaborations of the copyright law, that you can use the US legal system in order to protect, but that require you to register your copyright. So, the question is not really to copyright or not to copyright, because your work is already copyrighted, but whether you should REGISTER your copyright or not. As they write on the website at the US Copyright office:

Why should I register my work if copyright protection is automatic?
Registration is recommended for a number of reasons. Many choose to register their works because they wish to have the facts of their copyright on the public record and have a certificate of registration. Registered works may be eligible for statutory damages and attorney's fees in successful litigation. Finally, if registration occurs within 5 years of publication, it is considered prima facie evidence in a court of law. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section “Copyright Registration” and Circular 38b, Highlights of Copyright Amendments Contained in the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA), on non-U.S. works.
http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-g ... l#register

This means registration of your copyright is only/neccesary if you at some point in the future would want to "bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work" as they state. It's for documentation purposes. You can also sue if you haven't registered your copyright, though. As far as I've read.. you don't qualify to get a lawyer from your legal insurance (if you have one), though (you have to pay yourself).

So, bottom line. You are already protected, and the law ensures you of that. You can choose to register your work, which provides you with documentation for a court of law, which can help you when suing for infringement(s).

I think for production music many might choose not to register their works, especially with cues ect., because the money involved can't justify a lawsuit, even if infringement happened, for neither parts. So, some kind of agreement will probably always be preferred by all parties involved.

Disclaimer, I'm just a thorough songwriter and not a lawyer, so I've provided links for you to explore yourself