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Before You Use Music in Your Blog or Download a Video With Music Tracks, Read This!

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Madeline Island Realty 50317-90

Are you using copyrighted music illegally on your blog?

Before you upload a post with embedded music or video, take a look at these two recent posts:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/297404/Questions-About-Copyright-Permitted

http://activerain.com/blogsview/297005/The-Artist-Formerly-Known

I've already received a few questions about my earlier posts on music copyright.  The purpose of these posts about music copyright laws is to inform members, not to alarm anyone. 

There have been many, many posts about the evils of plagiarism here on ActiveRain.  And those posts have included a great deal of solemn comments by members who say they would never abuse anyone's copyright protection.  But what about music?  If one of your posts contains a YouTube video with an audible music track, aren't you taking a risk by using it? 

  • Do members realize that recorded music is protected by law? 
  • Did you know that sheet music must be copyrighted prior to 1923 to be considered "Public Domain"? 
  • Did you know that performing musicians are protected by laws and are entitled to royalties/residuals from their work?

Please take a moment to read the above posts and educate yourself about this important topic.

 

 

Comments(12)

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Al Maxwell
Keller Williams - Marietta, GA
Real Estate Agent
That is very good to know. We don't want to get caught using copywrited music!
Dec 05, 2007 11:59 PM
Frank Verna
Frank Realty - Jupiter, FL
Broker / Owner
I bet most people don't think of that.
Dec 06, 2007 12:00 AM
Eric Kodner
Madeline Island Realty - La Pointe, WI
CRS, Madeline Island Realty, LaPointe, WI 54850 -

Al, it's good to see at least some members are paying attention.  For a long time, I've been browsing members' posts with videos (and music) embedded in them, wondering who's going to be the first to get sued. 

Publishing & recording companies and others in the music industry are cracking down on non-permitted use of music, even brief music tracks behind video clips.

Dec 06, 2007 12:02 AM
Eric Kodner
Madeline Island Realty - La Pointe, WI
CRS, Madeline Island Realty, LaPointe, WI 54850 -
Frank, you're absolutely right.  Many people prefer to think of music as "free".  Unfortunately, it is not.
Dec 06, 2007 12:03 AM
Tom Braatz Waukesha County Real Estate 262-377-1459
Coldwell Banker - Oconomowoc, WI
Waukesha County Realtor Real Estate agent. SOLD!

Hi Eric. Find ne some homes. I ound like to come vivit up here, Lars i rreally freimgly, ewould he fng ohbavhomr?

tomBrratz

Weic

You are a new world Man. I am takinoff for a cxoupleandgetting out there to meet the mases. Havr fun whtebeer you dso, I lefdt to anneassagew aGO bout homes,

Call ;lee when you can,

Dec 06, 2007 06:07 AM
Jennifer Steck
Rocky Mountain Homescapes, Keller Williams, Denver Colorado - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate
Eric, I use Istockphoto.com to purchase pictures for my blog when I'm not using my own. Is there a site where you can pay for the download with the understanding that you can use it on the web?
Dec 06, 2007 11:51 PM
Tom Plant
WINEormous.com - Murrieta, CA
Eric - That's good information. Thanks for the heads up.
Dec 07, 2007 12:20 AM
Eric Kodner
Madeline Island Realty - La Pointe, WI
CRS, Madeline Island Realty, LaPointe, WI 54850 -

Tom Braatz, I'll be contacting you in a couple of days with some new listings on the Island.

Dec 07, 2007 11:05 AM
Eric Kodner
Madeline Island Realty - La Pointe, WI
CRS, Madeline Island Realty, LaPointe, WI 54850 -

Jennifer, I'm not aware of any sites claiming to offer "royalty-free" music or recorded music that doesn't require a license or royalty/residual payment.  My advice would be to check with ASCAP, BMI or AFM to find out if any site making those claims is legitimate.

Dec 07, 2007 11:08 AM
Eric Kodner
Madeline Island Realty - La Pointe, WI
CRS, Madeline Island Realty, LaPointe, WI 54850 -
Tom Plant -- Thanks for visiting and making comment!
Dec 07, 2007 11:11 AM
Todd and Danielle Millar
Glenn Simon Inc. - Edmonton, AB
Nineteen years of excellence!
I often wondered about this. I heard Prince (whatever his name is now) made a little boy remove his music from a video. Can we say too much time on our hands? Thanks for the heads up.
Dec 08, 2007 04:03 PM
Eric Kodner
Madeline Island Realty - La Pointe, WI
CRS, Madeline Island Realty, LaPointe, WI 54850 -

Todd & Danielle -- The version of that story which I heard was about a Pennsylvania mom who posted a YouTube video of her baby dancing to "Let's Go Crazy".  Prince's people sent her a letter about it.  Probably not the best PR move..

The fact remains that music stars, publishers, songwriters and performers are making an issue of anyone using their copyrighted material without permission or license.  It's good to be mindful of this, particularly here.  Our blogs are considered to be business promotion, not merely personal in nature.  So if a member added a video with "borrowed" music to their blog, an artist who could prove their copyrighted work had been stolen could conceivably bring suit, claiming economic loss. 

Dec 08, 2007 04:13 PM
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