Music Industry on Rampage: No More Lyrics For You

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the music industry's increasing restrictions on the availability of song lyrics online, including potential legal actions against website owners who post them. Participants explore the implications of copyright laws on personal use, distribution, and the accessibility of lyrics, touching on the business aspects of music and the evolving practices in the industry.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express concern that the music industry is overly aggressive in its attempts to control access to lyrics, suggesting that this could lead to extreme measures against individuals who sing copyrighted songs.
  • Others argue that while music is a business and lyrics are copyrighted, there is a lack of accessible means to legally obtain lyrics, which complicates the situation for consumers.
  • A few participants note that the absence of lyrics in digital music purchases and CDs limits the ability of fans to engage with the music, leading to frustration.
  • Some contributors mention that musicians' organizations may pay copyright holders for cover performances, though the details of this process remain unclear.
  • There is a humorous exchange about misheard lyrics, highlighting the cultural significance of understanding song lyrics and the enjoyment derived from them.
  • One participant raises the point that copyright laws have shifted from protecting creators to serving corporate interests, suggesting a disconnect from their original purpose.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express disagreement regarding the music industry's approach to lyrics and copyright, with multiple competing views on the implications of these restrictions and the adequacy of current practices.

Contextual Notes

Some participants highlight the limitations of current copyright laws and the lack of clarity around how payments to copyright holders are distributed, indicating a complex landscape of rights and access.

dduardo
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It looks like the music industry is on the rampage again. Now they don't want you getting lyrics online. Not only that, but they want to jail website owners for posting them.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4508158.stm
 
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Well one can buy the song and write the lyrics for personal use.

Afterall, music is a business. The lyrics, music and songs/tunes are copyrighted and are considered property.

Technically, one may copy for personal use, but one cannot legally distribute the music or lyrics, and technically an artist may not perform a copyrighted work without expressed permission from the copyright owner.

It's about MONEY!
 
dduardo said:
It looks like the music industry is on the rampage again. Now they don't want you getting lyrics online. Not only that, but they want to jail website owners for posting them.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4508158.stm
It looks like they're much more concerned about the sheet music, which usually includes the lyrics of course. I'm not sure this is going to really get to sites where you can look lyrics up just cause you're trying to figure out what they're saying.

It will be sad if it does, though. It would make me feel like they're on the verge of suing any unlicensed person who hums the tune in the presence of someone else.
 
zoobyshoe said:
It will be sad if it does, though. It would make me feel like they're on the verge of suing any unlicensed person who hums the tune in the presence of someone else.

Soon it will get to the point where even unlicensed singers who happen to sing a copyrighted song will be fined or sent to jail. In order to sing any copyrighted song, first must have to pay royalties to the recording company.

Why does it seem like these recording companies are becoming more and more rabid? What's next, life imprisonment for ownership of copyrighted songs? :bugeye:
 
motai said:
Soon it will get to the point where even unlicensed singers who happen to sing a copyrighted song will be fined or sent to jail. In order to sing any copyrighted song, first must have to pay royalties to the recording company.
One can sing to oneself or others, but one cannot charge money. Seriously, I know several professional performers, and they will not sing another artist's songs without permission.
 
Astronuc said:
It's about MONEY!

But where is the money? As far as I'm aware, record companies don't offer any way of paying to obtain lyrics. The odd music score exists, but these are few and far between from what I've seen.
 
matthyaouw said:
But where is the money? As far as I'm aware, record companies don't offer any way of paying to obtain lyrics. The odd music score exists, but these are few and far between from what I've seen.
Well presumably, once 'free' lyrics sites are shutdown, they will be replaced by websites for which one pays for lyrics, e.g. Apples I-tunes, where one can buy any song/tune for $0.99.
 
Paying for lyrics? Geeze, whatever happened to including the lyrics in the little booklet.
 
Up here (and I thought that it applied in the US as well), the musicians' organization (not quite a union) pays the copyright holders on behalf of the people who perform cover tunes, who in turn pay through their dues. I have no idea what formulae are used to govern distribution of payment.
 
  • #10
mattmns said:
Paying for lyrics? Geeze, whatever happened to including the lyrics in the little booklet.

Exactly. You might not believe it, but I hardly have any copied CD's (hopefully I won't get sued for saying that;). The main reason why I like to buy original CD's are the cases and booklets. Sadly, musicians tend to forget the importance of those.
 
  • #11
When you buy music online there is no booklet and thus no lyrics. What do they expect people to do? Go to Sam Ash and get a hold of the sheet music? What happens if there is none?
 
  • #12
mattmns said:
Paying for lyrics? Geeze, whatever happened to including the lyrics in the little booklet.

dduardo said:
When you buy music online there is no booklet and thus no lyrics.

Even when you get the CDs, they don't include the lyrics anymore. They're out of their tree if they think people are going to pay for lyrics though. I've looked up lyrics online from time to time, usually for one of two reasons; 1) I own the song and like it and want to sing along, but can't understand a few phrases and want to check what they are, or 2) I heard a song on the radio and am trying to find the name of it, so search lyrics for the phrases I recall to check the name so I can buy it. In the first case, if I can't get the lyrics, no big deal, I'll live without them if they think they're going to try selling them to me (what other reason would there be to not allow people to put up free lyrics online?) In the second case, they're only shooting themselves in the foot...if I can't search lyrics to find the name of the song, I sure won't be able to buy it either, and if I like a song enough to look it up using the lyrics, it's because I want to buy it.
 
  • #13
I think it would be ridiculous to shut down sites that have lyrics. They aren't playing the songs, there is no music. It's nice to know what the singer is saying, which a lot of times you can't tell by listening. One of my favorite mis-heard lyrics is a Jimmie Hendricks song "scuse me while I kiss this guy". :biggrin:

Here are some other goodies.

Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven"

Wrong - And there's a wino down the road, I should've stole his Oreos

Right - And as we wind on down the road, Our shadows taller than our souls

Bachman Turner Overdrive "Takin' Care of Business"

Wrong - Bakin' carrot biscuits

Right - Takin' care of business

Clash "Rock the Casbah"

Wrong - Sherry don't like it, rock the catbox

Right - The Sharif don't like it, rock the Casbah

Beatles "Ticket to Ride"

Wrong - She's got a chicken to ride

Right - She's got a ticket to ride

More here http://www.rareexception.com/Garden/Misinterpreted/Lyrics.php
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #14
And there's a wino down the road, I should've stole his Oreos
:smile: :smile: I almost fell off the chair. Good think I wasn't drinking at the time. :smile:
 
  • #15
Mammaries, lick the corner of my mouth.
Mister where'd you get those mammaries

don't know the right lyrics
 
  • #16
Astronuc that's twice you've jumped ahead of me while I was writing. You need to let me know where you are going next, cause I'm not putting up with it all night.
 
  • #17
I didn't know you were into riding chicken's trib. :smile:

Or sleeping habits.
 
  • #18
I think a while back some musicians used to purposefully add lyrics that sounded like two different phrases so they could get one over on the censors.


Also these copyright laws are becoming rediculous. They're no longer what they were meant to be. They've gone from a means of rewarding people for their contributions to society to a means for corporations to extort people.
 

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