http://www.bandonthe.net/blog/category/music-law/ Blog categories... http://www.bandonthe.net/jamietech/blog/copyright-law-basics-in-uk-music/ If you are confused by the copyright laws in UK music, this will help you expel certain myths and have an in-depth understanding about copyright law. ...
It is not necessary to register with the MCPS/PRS, since a law was passed which allows the singer or band to choose any organization or person to represent their music and to collect any royalties. This is something you can even do yourself; simply cutting out the middle men and collecting your own royalties. However, making certain other people are not breaching your copyright, whilst collecting royalties can be a waste of time at your end, especially if your focus is to become a major recording artist.

When it comes to someone elses work, you cannot use it whether the sample is long or short. Contrary to some popular beliefs, the current copyright law prohibits the use of samples of less than fifteen seconds and it is also illegal if you attempt to mangle the sample. Before you proceed with sampling, dont forget to contact the owners. Of course, there are enough tracks out there which can be sampled. Some of these tracks come under the open content licenses like Creative Commons. Make certain you read the license first, because all open content releases are not available to create different versions of their work. If getting permission is too difficult a task to do on your own, keep in mind that there are sample clearance agencies willing to do this for you.

What about creating cover versions? The answer to this can swing both ways. Creating cover versions is a possibility, however, you must get permission to perform the track and more importantly you cannot distribute it. Generally, members of MCPS/PRS get paid by venues for their copyrighted works, but most musicians are not registered with MCPS/PRS. So check whether these musicians are registered with a similar group or how they collect their royalties. You must have a license if you are going to copy and distribute any music, so once again the original author or the MCPS/PRS must be contacted before such an action takes place.

You may be wondering what a Creative Common License is? A Creative Common License can be used for free material such as audio and works with copyright, which means that you can set out terms best suited to you. To make it clear that your track is copyrighted, send out every demo by post to Copyright Control, which defines that the track is copyrighted without publishers.

If you want to upload DJ mixes, once again permission is required from the original author. Certain websites claim authenticity to uploaded mixes, but you must check whether this statement is true or not and be careful when uploading DJ mixes.

If you are looking to add another musicians music to a video, you must seek permission first. You may not be making money on this venture; however, asking for permission is an obligatory requirement.
M.A.H.]]> http://www.bandonthe.net/jamietech/blog/copyright-law-basics-in-uk-music/ Thu, 04 Aug 2011 02:43:56 +0000 Jamie Shay