Questions tagged [music]
For questions about laws applying to musical works, recording and performance.
147
questions
1
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1answer
76 views
Is a teacher playing music in the hallway legal?
I am a highschooler in Alabama (USA) in a school of 700 or more (not 100% sure). When walking through the school, there is a teacher playing music into the hallways.
The issue is that the songs she ...
1
vote
1answer
46 views
Can the copyright status for unreleased musical work expire
This may be an iterative of a common question, though I feel the specific scenario justifies asking. Is there an established guideline regarding the longevity of copyright protection status for an ...
0
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0answers
17 views
If my app is published in multiple countries, which jurisdiction does it fall under? [duplicate]
If I submit my app to Korean Appstore, but if it's also published in other countries' appstores as well (US, Japan, Mexico, etc), which country's jurisdiction does my app fall under? If it falls under ...
2
votes
1answer
43 views
Creating a cover song for a video game
Based on some cursory internet searches, I understand the following:
If you create a cover song, you still need a license for it from whoever owns the original song.
If you want to put a song in a ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
Are Midi files copyrighted?
If I have a midi file of a public domain work, it the midi file copyrighted? This is a question that is related to this thread/question: Can I use public domain midi files commercially?
0
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1answer
163 views
Can I use public domain MIDI files commercially? [closed]
Lets say I made professional music with the hope of selling them from public domain MIDI files. The files would have been modified slightly with the notes arranged slightly differently. Would that be ...
0
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0answers
72 views
What are the legal actions that can be taken against me and my app for breaching the YouTube Terms and Conditions?
Suppose, I create an Android app that streams music/songs illegally by playing them in a YouTube player while hiding the player view, and also allows downloading the videos offline both of which are ...
-4
votes
1answer
52 views
How do I give all the right credit to the Harry Potter company and John Williams if I create a variation on the theme song? [closed]
I want to know how do I give all the right credit to the Harry Potter company and John Williams if I create a variation on the theme song for it and if I plan to sell it. I don't want to be sued by ...
0
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1answer
40 views
I want to do a piano tutorials platform and I have copyrights question [closed]
We are working on a solution to learn the piano, like this one, or this one.
I have read that for each song that I will add on the platform, I'll need to have the permission of the artist (and we will ...
2
votes
1answer
96 views
Is it allowed to use a copyrighted music track on a video, but without integrating the audio into the video?
It's generally known that if you use a song to create a music video, you must have obtained a master use license to publish the track as a part of the music video, and also a synchronization license ...
2
votes
1answer
61 views
Music in private online social gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic
Me and a small group of friends (10 people) are going to have a party. Normally, we would meet each other at someones home. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, everybody will stay at their own ...
2
votes
1answer
64 views
Uploading purchased (edited) music to YouTube
Say that a hobbyist DJ purchases CDs, digital tracks and what are known as mixtapes (free music) and slows them down or things like that. If that DJ wants to share the result of this, is it legal to ...
0
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1answer
39 views
Copyright of a children's song with no author or date information
As a follow-up on Copyright of children's folklore songs, artist A wants to use the melody of "Five little ducks". The song is not on the list of public domain songs. A sound recording ...
1
vote
0answers
78 views
Is the .exe file format copyrighted by Microsoft in a creative naming capacity?
I wanted to know if the name of the .exe file format used by Microsoft Operating Systems is copyrighted. As in, is it possible that I'm committing copyright infringement by adding that suffix ("....
0
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0answers
15 views
What rights do lyricists usually grant to composers for musical productions? [duplicate]
Suppose a poet is contacted by a composer inspired by his/her poetry, and they agree to use a few of his/her poems in the composer's new orchestral production (which will be released as a CD). They ...
-1
votes
1answer
26 views
Royalty split between a singer/songwriter and composer/producer [closed]
I have written the lyrics to a song, came up with the melody and paid a composer to translate it into musical notes and create the song (with instruments). I paid for his services. Now, I want to ...
2
votes
1answer
73 views
Playing copyrighted music legally -> personal and small group usage
I play guitar. I just want to know what is legal or not regarding my playing copyrighted music. I understand that performing in public (whatever that means!? Formal event? More than just me? Other?))...
2
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2answers
42 views
Copyright of children's folklore songs
Suppose artist A wanted to include a song to the tune of a children's nursery rhyme, such as Pretty Little Dutch Girl. This song was written in the 1940s, so if the composer was Australian, it would ...
0
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0answers
22 views
If I were to transcribe someone's arrangement of a copyrighted piece and credit them, would I violate copyright laws? [duplicate]
I was wanting to transcribe an arrangement of a song from YouTube and make the sheets available on MuseScore, giving credit to the arranger. The arranger hadn't made any sheet music of their ...
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votes
2answers
93 views
Can I get sued if someone uses a song on my app without proper copyrights?
I have a small social media sort of app, if some user were to use a song on my platform without proper copyrights can the platform(my app) get sued ?
No there is no monetization for user.
1
vote
2answers
70 views
Can music publishers/agents demand service fees for compulsory copyright licenses
By my reading of the compulsory copyright licensing rules, if I want to record a cover of a song and sell one copy of it, I would need to obtain a license, but if I send in a proper notice along with ...
-3
votes
1answer
48 views
Copyright laws on music instrumental tracks?
First off, I know very little about the law whatsoever - so please bear with me on this one! :) In my spare time, I've being making instrumental accompaniments to some of my favourites musicals and ...
0
votes
0answers
61 views
Risk/Information Regarding Copyright/Trademark Violation
I have previously participated in the illicit accessing of files (music, etc.) that were most likely copyrighted/trademarked/etc. as well as the distribution of modified versions of these files (...
0
votes
0answers
14 views
If you parody a song and put it in a movie or in a successful YouTube/Netflix series, do you still need to contact copyright holders? [duplicate]
I am parodying several songs for the soundtrack of what will hopefully be a full feature movie, and would like to know if by doing so I have to contact the copyright holders to obtain a license.
--I ...
0
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0answers
30 views
Legality of short clips cut from famous movies to fit a new soundtrack
Bob has written a short piece of music and realized that it brilliantly fits certain sequences from a certain famous, copyrighted movie. He cuts essentially a music video from those sequences which ...
0
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2answers
47 views
Usage rights for a composition that later turned out to be plagiarism
If an artist makes a composition and later turns out to be a plagiarism from another, who bought the rights, or perhaps used it because it was released under creative commons, will it have ...
2
votes
1answer
101 views
Can musicians effectively sue politicans that use their songs without permission?
Just about every presidential election cycle I can recall has multiple stories of candidates using songs at their rallies which they have failed to secure permission for. Afterwards, there will a ...
1
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1answer
90 views
Is there a requirement to delete already illegally downloaded music?
If someone has illegally pirated music and has it downloaded is there a legal requirement for him to delete it?
0
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0answers
31 views
What could be done if a TV show used a person's music without that person's permission?
What would happen in the scenario where a show on a TV network played a tune during the show that another person owned? Let's say that the show was broadcast a few years after the music was composed, ...
1
vote
0answers
45 views
Copyright compliance for music used in a TV show
How do shows recorded and syndicated for replay on television (and comparable media) comply with the copyright of a music they play but do not own?
1
vote
1answer
56 views
Is my overseas music distributor in breach of their licensing agreement? How do I get money owed to me? [closed]
When I first started making music several years ago I used a service called Music Kickup; they're based in Helsinki, Finland and I am based in California, US. They take music I send them, put it on ...
1
vote
1answer
33 views
Do guitar tablature websites or websites that provide sheet music have to pay royalties to songs authors?
Do websites that provide guitar tablature or musical notes of popular songs have to pay royalties to song authors or record labels ?
I'm talking about websites like:
https://www.songsterr.com/
...
0
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0answers
22 views
Can I put a song title in my novel?
I know that for put a song i need to pay for it, but what if I put a song title in my novel like the title of a chapter (example: "21st Century Schizoid Man") or the name of a character (example: "...
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1answer
134 views
Can I play the famous song “The Stars and Stripes Forever” in my mobile phone commercial game ? Is there any copyright issue?
The song " The Stars and Stripes Forever " is a very famous song in the US.
The song was composed by John Philip Sousa in 1896.
By a 1987 act of the U.S. Congress, it is the official National ...
-1
votes
1answer
34 views
Licensing an image and artwork
A musician asked me to create his latest album cover off one of my photographs.
He's not famous and will only publish his work on a few music websites, so he will use the artwork as a digital file ...
0
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0answers
42 views
Why Genius doesn't have problems with lyrics copyright?
I know that lyrics of almost all songs are subject to copyright law (am I right?). But I never heard that Genius (genius.com) where such lyrics are posted without any care had any problems with the ...
0
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1answer
55 views
What countries' copyright laws would I need to abide by if I wrote a heavily modified rearrangement of an existing song for third-party usage?
Let's say that I, citizen of Alicetopia in the EU, were creating a derivative work of a copyrighted composition. This would be a heavily modified instrumental rearrangement of an existing song, to the ...
2
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0answers
102 views
is creating an app/website/software which uses youtube-dl for videos download from YouTube legal?
I'm pretty sure that it won't be legal in some or the work way.
However, I want to clarify my doubt about legal issues again.
I read this article about it - is it legal to download youtube videos?
...
9
votes
4answers
538 views
Auto-generating every possible melody to forstall copyright: will this work?
This article describes a scheme to have a computer generate every possible "8-note, 12-beat melody combo" and release it under a Creative Commons license so that anyone can use it (not exactly public ...
0
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0answers
21 views
If I transcribed a music piece that normally would not be allowed to be uploaded on youtube, would I be able to upload the sheet music? [duplicate]
I transcribed a piece of music onto sheet music using the original instruments from the song. The song would normally not be allowed on youtube due to copyright, however since I transcribed it myself ...
2
votes
1answer
50 views
How can I determine what elements of a work are covered by a copyright mark?
I have sheet music for a piece of classical music that bears the following copyright claim:
© 1927 Carl Fischer, New York. © renewed 1955 Fritz Fischer
Fischer is a well-known publisher of ...
1
vote
1answer
120 views
Is musescore.com violating CC-BY-NC by requiring a paid account to download such files?
On musescore.com, there are several song arrangements released under CC-BY-NC (or CC-BY-NC-SA or CC-BY-NC-ND) licenses. However, musescore.com won't let you download many of these unless you have a ...
2
votes
2answers
70 views
Would a hypothetical anonymous musical be artist in violation of Spotify's Terms of Service?
In Spotify's Terms of Service (specifically, Section 8: User guidelines, Statement #8.22 of https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/spotify-for-artists-terms-and-conditions/), Spotify states that in ...
0
votes
2answers
55 views
Fair use of licenced music snippets in a commercial, educational product
I have a commercial product that teaches music theory using a series of short videos. In an upcoming video, I'd like to give examples of particular theory concepts using several short snippets of ...
0
votes
1answer
58 views
Downloading Music I bought from Google Play [closed]
I have bought a new song on Google Play (using Opinion Rewards). Google gives me the option to download the song but I want to know if it's legal or not.
1
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1answer
43 views
Is it legal to publish a script that downloads music from a website?
Is it legal to just publish a Python script that downloads mp3 from an external website, being that the action of downloading is not legal?
Is there some kind of repercussion?
2
votes
2answers
65 views
Using a public domain opera, recorded by someone else, in a parody
I found a YouTube video of a public domain opera, and I want to use the sound portion in a musical parody. I will only use parts of it, alter it dramatically, and wish to claim "Fair Use." Is it ...
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votes
2answers
92 views
Is it legal to burn music to a cd for personal use?
I have a number of music CD disks, which take up a large amount of space. I hence want to burn all this music to a single larger disk so that these CD disks do not take up as much space in my car. Is ...
1
vote
2answers
80 views
Is this excerpt from a classical piece copyrighted?
I am writing a progressive rock song of around 10 minutes in length. For the first two minutes, I play Shostakovich's Fugue in A Major. This piece is not in public domain, so I know I have to make ...
1
vote
1answer
237 views
Music Transposition Copyright
So I am designing a mobile app that transposes music for the user. The user can only transpose four notes at a time, and they are required to input the notes themselves. Are there any copyright laws ...
