the RIAA can only purport to control and then enforce copyright in the sound recordings of its members. Its members are mid size and large recording companies. so it really depends on what your mix tape contains.
alot of the riaas members are large enough to support business in other countries, with local offices managing local repertoire as well as imports from worldwide. So territoriality won't be an issue in those cases. Also, it is possible to sue in a foreign country with local legal representation. It depends how the large record companies in the territory concerned are choosing to enforce copyright. Usually the big 5 (although BMG and Sony are merging) stick together and sue together. down here in sydney there's been a few busts recently. Some commercial dj got taken away by the federal police while he was in the middle of a set in a nightlclub in darling harbour - it was in the papers. Some hip hop/r&b djs got caught cutting up j.lo, busta rhymes etc and selling as mix cds - I think they had to pay for the costs of proceedings which they lost. Also late last year - the first criminal charges were brought against 3 young ozzie students for setting up and operating winmp3land.com - a site hosting and offering downloads of 1000s of commercial hip hop/r&b tracks - millions of downlaods were clocked up. They were very lucky to get away with suspended jail sentences....but then they were pretty dumb in the first place. I think if you're using other peoples work (without permission or payment) in order to make money for yourself, you've gotta accept what's coming to you. the article posted does refer to '$100,000¹s worth of mix CDs'. Well someone is obviously making money from the music.....it only seems fair that a portion of that money goes to the composer and the record co's involved. but there's scum in the dance music industry just as in any other industry. generally speaking, for a record company to bother to litigate they have to be able to prove that they have suffered considerable financial injury. so getting caught will depend on just how commercial you are with your copyright infringements and how many units you want to push so as to fatten your wallet. down here the most popular dance mix cds would be progressive trance, tech house, MOS and all that sort of crap.....if they've been compiled without permission it probably makes for a better society if that stuff is off the shelves anyway. as always - if people were a little more educated, and introspective about music and didn't consistently lap up the crap marketed to them by major record labels - these problems may be avoided to some extent. if you don't like the terms and conditions that go with the music you buy - don't buy it. on 31/1/04 7:17 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > > OK - so here's another question > It's the Record Industry Association of America - which I then assume > excludes UK, Japan, Euro, Oz, etc. labels > so then, hypothetically, I could make a mix CD consisting solely of labels > and artists from these countries and the RIAA then legally can't touch it > because it has no jurisdiction over the content. > > this, I believe, is the most complete list available of labels that are > members of the RIAA > http://www.riaa.com/about/members/default.asp > > so don't use those labels in your mixes or stick with independent labels > from outside the US and you're golden... unless those artists and labels > ask you to remove the track from your mix > > let me know if this is or isn't true > > MEK > > > > jonathan morse > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <313@hyperreal.org> > cc: > 01/30/04 05:00 AM Subject: (313) RIAA v. DJ's > > > > > > > DJs mix CDs attacked in attempt to control copyright > > > > > > > Words: Terry Church > > The Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) has launched > a new campaign against DJs in an attempt to control copyright infringement. > > They have already confiscated $100,000¹s worth of mix CDs > from independent record stores across the US. > > DJ mix CDs, sold in almost every independent record store are > on the whole unlicensed and technically illegal to distribute. However, > DJs and producers alike often rely upon these illegal mixes in order > to gain credibility, and to promote themselves to the general public. > > The practice is in fact approved of by most producers who see it > as fundamental to the survival of the dance scene - even if it is > their tracks that are being copied and played without permission. > This latest attack by the RIAA is therefore hypocritical > they claim that their pursuit of copyright infringement is primarily > in the interest of the artist, yet most dance producers actually > approve of and rely upon this illegal distribution. > > > The dance scene relies upon these ?illegal¹ ways to survive, > and it seems that the only people who actually care about > this particular copyright infringement are not the artists themselves > but the record companies who are only involved in the dance > scene for profit. > > > >
