Music Downloads

[Rich newby]

Hi

 

I am looking to start legally downloading music. Napster was the first choice, because of the monthly charge instead of per track. However in the terms and conditions it says that the music can only be played as personal use. I will be playing it from my laptop for disco's and performances. I don't want to constantly buy CD's because they will then just get riped onto my laptop and then put in a cupboard, a waste of money. Is there a package out there for playing music commercially, which is legal and ideally with a monthly charge, instead of a pet track charge.

 

Cheers

Rich

[gareth]

Regardless of how you buy your music, if you're playing it in public you should be paying the PRS fees for doing so. If you're not, you're breaking the law.

[Guest lightnix]

Gareth is correct, you'll need a licence from The Performing Right Society. Check out this page and click on "Licencing" for contact info.

[Jivemaster]

First the Napster legal downloads by monthly sub cannot leave the PC/MAC they were downloaded to -- you cannot burn them. Second the monthly sub tracks will not play if your sub expires.

 

Only the pence per tracks are burnable or transferable.

[Rich newby]

OK, I have sent off an email to them, thanks so far. So when I have this licence, will this mean that Napster will then be legal to play commercially?

 

Rich

[paulears]

The answer is probably - only because of the source agreement with people like napster. PRS will take your money. MCPS may also be entitled as they deal with the mechanical tranfer from medium to medium. They will no doubt be able to give you a definitive answer if you phone them. They are quite helpful.

[Hambone]

I've been getting my tracks from the iTunes Music Store.

 

For personal use, I've been using this place for tracks, but as I can't ascertain their legality for playing out, I don't want to use them.

[Jamtastic3]

OK so what if you were playing music from an MP3 player or ipod for discos/venues? (that music has been downloaded somehow)

[drowner77]

I thought you were covered by the PRS and entertainment licence of the venue/

[djw1981]

Not all smaller venues have one (A PRS licence that is)

[paulears]

If the venue have a 'proper' licence, then somebody usually hands a form to the incomers, asking for the track info - artiste, work name etc for their records. Many don't bother, and oddly, seem to get away with it. very often themay have a licence for playing one type of music - as in background in public areas like the bars, foyers etc - but may not have one for music played as part of a performance - as in pretty well every dance show!

[Ynot]

I thought you were covered by the PRS and entertainment licence of the venue/

Venues SHOULD have a valid and up to date PRS and PPL licence before they can publicly play recorded music in the hearing of Joe Punter. Ours is broken down quite a lot by PRS, though PPL is a little easier. We're covered for stuff in the bar, pre/post show/interval music, disco's and variety shows etc.

Each show is detailed for PRS according to type, and charged accordingly.

Each disco is listed, though some are excludable - eg private parties with a disco (which all of ours are).

We have to state how many days music's played in the bar etc.

 

Cheap it's not for a regularly used venue, and is based in many instances on the bums on seats/cash taken for those seats.

 

That being said, I could probably point (if I were malicious) at a long list of venues (pub/club types) that do NOT have proper licensing. I know that some DJ's have their own agreements with the likes of the PRS but it's not that common, I reckon.

 

HTH

 

Tony

[djw1981]

My point was that many venues do not play musak and tehrefroe do not apply for a PRS licence and rely on the promoter to have the correct one or hope that no one catches up with them.

[paulears]

I'm not sure the venue can pass on the responsibility to the promoter. Most venues under the old licence system were licenced for music, singing and dancing. By having this type of licence in effect, I would think it difficult to say that they don't need a licence from PRS too?

[Malcolm Gordon]

The PPL website points out that both PRS and PPL licences are needed; the former collects fees for composers and publishers, the latter for record companies and performers.

 

My local venue (apart from its Local Authority PEL) has a PRS licence that covers live music performances and bar/foyer music and a PPL licence for the playing of disks for the latter. Most incoming musicals have a licence directly from the rights holders and so are outside the PRS. My amateur dramatic society (which stages plays there) has a PPL licence to cover pre/post/interval and incidental music; the annual fee is only about £45 but one is required to submit playlists.

 

PPL also point out that their licence does not allow one to re-record from commercial sound recordings to minidisk, tape, laptop etc. without permission, but they do occasionally grant copying licences "to professional music service providers". MCPS also have a say in this, but it is not so easy to find out their requirements. Although re-recording for convenience, to avoid juggling disks, is well-established in the theatre and commercial venues may have negotiated licences, these are not as readily available to amateurs and it is not a option offered on the MCPS website. Perhaps I'll have to try a phone call. Referring back to the original post and music downloads, presumably these immediately count as re-recordings.