I've heard from the Web Sheriff. I am to stop posting Van Morrison songs. I read about this on another blog but didn't think about it when I was matching music for the day's post on An Island Walk. Here is the comment/letter.
I don't consider the music pirated when I own the album it comes from. What do you think?WEB SHERIFF
Protecting Your Rights on the Internet
Tel 44-(0)208-323 8013
Fax 44-(0)208-323 8080
websheriff@websheriff.com
www.websheriff.com
WITHOUT PREJUDICE
Hi Cuidado / Christine,
On behalf of Exile Productions and Exile Publishing, we would kindly ask you not to post pirate copies of Van Morrison albums / tracks on your site.
We do appreciate that you are fans of / are promoting Van, but Exile would greatly appreciate your co-operation in removing your links to the pirate files in question.
For your readers’ info, up-to-the-minute info on Van’s latest album - Keep It Simple - and 2008 shows is, of course, available on www.vanmorrison.com and www.myspace.com/vanmorrison and, for a limited period, you can still see Van's exclusive BBC sessions at http://www.bbc.co.uk/musictv/vanmorrison/video/ . We’re also pleased to announce that an increasing archive of exclusive film footage of Van Morrison performances has now been made available for fans on Exile’s official YouTube channel at http://uk.youtube.com/user/OfficialExileFilms.
As you will appreciate, this e-mail is written on a without prejudice basis and, as such, all of our clients' accumulated, worldwide rights and remedies remain strictly reserved : please excuse this required formality.
With Thanks & Regards,
WEB SHERIFF
I apologize for the infrequent posts. I am experiencing very strange sleep patterns and am not up at my usual 5:30. I am up at 4:00 am however but go back to bed for much needed sleep. I do the best I can. Even the photo blogs have been difficult. It has been raining all month - not great weather to be out with a camera.
Music today will not be Van Morrison. Actually it seems there won't be music from Putfile today. I'll try the method I used a few weeks ago when Putfile failed. Maybe they got a letter from the Web Sheriff too.
Here's a couple I wanted to post but are already up: Walkin' After Midnight and Working Sunday. Here's something new: Kenny White with How Long and Lizz Wright with Trouble.
12 comments:
WEB SHERIFF
Protecting Your Rights on the Internet
Tel 44-(0)208-323 8013
Fax 44-(0)208-323 8080
websheriff@websheriff.com
www.websheriff.com
Hi 'C/C',
Many thanks for your post / reply and 'sorry' if you felt that you were in trouble in any way ... .. your point about when does a copy become a pirate copy is a valid one and, essentially, your personal copy is exactly that and yours to do with as you please in a domestic / private context ... .. the minute that you take that copy and publish it to the world-at-large / put it into distribution on the net, is when it becomes 'pirate' (for want of a better description) - just as if anyone were to buy, say, a BatMan movie and then upload it onto the internet for streaming or downloading (ie. not the purpose it was bought for and not the purpose that is permitted by the film studio when they sell DVDs etc).
We hope that the above clarifies things (even if it's not great news !!).
All The Best,
WEB SHERIFF
P.S. We like the Cat. : )
Actually, I was surprised it took so long for someone to crack down, either here or at Putfile, concerning your music.
Even under existing Canadian copyright legislation, any re-publication or re-broadcast of copyrighted works is illegal. I believe British law is similar, as is the Berne Convention which regulates copyrighted materiel worldwide.
I've been fortunate not to find too many using my images without permission. In the couple instances I have, I've written to ask them to either remove the photo, add a photo credit, or pay a licensing fee, depending on the situation.
Unfortunately, the internet and digital technology means all too many people can copy and re-distribute anything they find at a push of a button.
And, unfortunately, few people are aware of copyrights and how they are applied (although some deliberately choose to ignore them).
I don't understand all the legalities involved in uploading music, but I have read about this sort of thing in the quilt world, where you can make a quilt using a pattern that you buy, but can't make duplicates of that quilt to sell, etc. Way too confusing for me!
It's all very complicated. You can do what you want with something you buy and own but only to a point.
I've had two managers of artists write in that they were pleased that I was featuring their client. I always link back to the artist on this blog and have had people say they were going to purchase music because of hearing it here.
The music featured here is not available for download; it can only be listened to.
It makes me sad really!.
"P.S. We like the Cat. : )"
What a bunch or arse-licking mercenaries. Being paid to fight a losing war. As long as they over-charge for music people will obtain pirated copies and there is nothing they can do to stop it. FACT.
Which is great news for the web-sheriff obsiously :). Without people like you, Cuidado, they would have no business...
That's the really sad thing.
These people should get a real job.
Oh, this pushes my buttons! My take: the music industry is shooting itself in the foot over this issue, paranoid for no good reason. The only full-price purchases of albums I've made in the past several years have been based on free samples picked up along the way on the internet. This phenomenon will not go away and if the industry sees it as a lemon, they should get a good recipe for lemonade as soon as they can. They do themselves great harm PR-wise by knee-jerking about "unauthrorized copying," creating resentment and a "forbidden fruit" mentality among the record-buying public. They should see the handwriting on the wall in the artists who are self-publishing and ignoring the antiquated music sales system altogether, and they could greatly help their own cause by working to de-segmentize radio formats so that the average listener could hear all varieties of music on commerical radio, which most of us still listen to. The situation is such now that new music can almost only be heard via "pirates." Music industry, wake up and enter the 21st century with some grace and class.
I love all these comments as they are all valid points. On my music pages I have a statement saying that if you own the copyright and want the music removed, I will gladly do it. I don't have a problem removing Van Morrison's music.
I just don't understand why someone would not want their music listened to. I link to the musician and know I've created enough interest to sell albums. I've been told this many times.
Does a person create music just to make money or to have it listened to?
I had a woman carefully photographing a whole lot of my art work the other day. She told me how much she loved this unique style and I think she is planning on copying it. She didn't know it was mine and when I told her, she was quite embarrassed. I told her not to be, that she could try to recreate what she saw.
I think it is all in the attitude. My attitude is to share.
And, Cuidado, I believe your sharing attitude is the same as that of the music artists we feature on our blogs. Van Morrison didn't put those "sheriff" goons up to this; his recording company did. I, too, have had artists write and thank me for featuring them. Of course music is a form of communication and musicians want their stuff out there. But it's also their bread and butter and I know they need the money. So it helps their bottom line, too. I'm happy to be able to do that.
I believe Van owns his record company, Ralph.
Sorry to hear that. Well, I never post him, so I've nothing to worry about....
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