Author Topic: Music Licensing (Read 6642 times)

chris319 · « **on:** January 19, 2008, 10:42:42 PM »

Apropos of our recent lively discussion about the Television Production Music Museum, here is a link to the Wikipedia article on music licensing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_Licensing

Now for a story about music licensing. Last July at the Game Show Congreff I produced a live performance of Match Game. Of course, no performance of Match Game would be complete without the wanky-wank guitar opening, theme and think cues. I blithely downloaded the Match Game music cues from a well-known web site and arranged them to play back from my laptop computer. Knowing what I know about music licensing I thought to myself, "I'm probably flying under the radar of BMI, ASCAP and the music rights police with my small, one-off, not-for-profit performance of Match Game. The worst that could happen is that an attorney from BMI would show up and bust me, and what are the odds of that happening?". "Murphy" heard this.

During the performance we selected contestants from the assembled audience of about 60. One of the first two contestants was a fellow who came up on stage, and when emcee Randy West interviewed him, he said he was a lawyer. I thought nothing of it. We played the game and he was ultimately defeated. After the performance I went up to him and asked what kind of lawyer he was and whether he was in private practice or worked for a company. "I'm an attorney for BMI" he replied. OMG!!!!! My heart stopped beating for a moment. My worst fear realized!!! BUSTED!!!

I explained to him that my worst fear was that HE would show up with me playing all of those Match Game cues. Well, he couldn't have been more gracious. He told me that what I was doing was perfectly OK. It turns out that I didn't have to worry about music rights so long as the venue had a license. "The Beverly Garland Hotel probably has a music license, so you're OK" he explained. WHEW! (And I don't mean Jay Wolpert's show).

Luckily there were no Fremantle attorneys in the audience.

The Wikipedia article does not go into compilation CDs or the exchange of music on line. As most of you know there was a big to-do about on-line music file swapping several years ago. I'm no expert, but one difference between game show themes and cues and an Elton John CD is that the latter is intended to be sold to the public at retail. The former is intended for use by television producers in their shows.

rialtus · « **Reply #1 on:** January 20, 2008, 02:07:05 PM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'175564\' date=\'Jan 19 2008, 10:42 PM\']Apropos of our recent lively discussion about the Television Production Music Museum, here is a link to the Wikipedia article on music licensing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_Licensing[/quote]
<<rest of article snipped>> I'm not meaning to stir up a hornet's nest, but Wikipedia isn't what I would consider the ultimate source for information. It's good as a starting point to search for other information, but given that anyone can edit a Wikipedia article... In the education field, there are many discussions about if Wikipedia is considered a valid source to cite, and many educators will not accept this as a source. (Disclosure: My wife is a teacher.)

Now, if you wanted to link to BMI's licensing site or the National Music Publishers' Association to make your case, that may be different.

chris319 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 20, 2008, 05:07:16 PM »

Quote

Wikipedia isn't what I would consider the ultimate source for information

That doesn't invalidate everything ever published on Wikipedia. I read the article I linked to, and it comports with what I know about the subject of music licensing. If you care to dispute the Wikipedia article by pointing out errors or inaccuacies, be my guest. Tell you what -- compare the BMI article and the Wikipedia article and get back to me with any discrepancies you may find.

The Pyramids · « **Reply #3 on:** January 20, 2008, 05:41:30 PM »

I'm curious. From who or where did the questions for your game come from?

rialtus · « **Reply #4 on:** January 20, 2008, 07:10:52 PM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'175607\' date=\'Jan 20 2008, 05:07 PM\']

Quote

Wikipedia isn't what I would consider the ultimate source for information

That doesn't invalidate everything ever published on Wikipedia. I read the article I linked to, and it comports with what I know about the subject of music licensing. If you care to dispute the Wikipedia article by pointing out errors or inaccuacies, be my guest. Tell you what -- compare the BMI article and the Wikipedia article and get back to me with any discrepancies you may find.[/quote]Chris, all I was stating was that many people (myself included) do not consider Wikipedia an authoritative source. I was not arguing the validity of this particular article, as I didn't read it. I am not lawyer, much less a lawyer specializing in licensing. I was, ironically, trying to HELP YOU by citing other sources that others may find more authoritative. Guess I deserved what I got for delurking...

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #5 on:** January 20, 2008, 07:56:47 PM »

My beef with wikipedia in general is that an authortative article that was there five minutes ago may be changed, not always for the better, at any time by anybody.

Chelsea Thrasher · « **Reply #6 on:** January 20, 2008, 09:23:01 PM »

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'175654\' date=\'Jan 20 2008, 06:56 PM\'] My beef with wikipedia in general is that an authortative article that was there five minutes ago may be changed, not always for the better, at any time by anybody. [/quote]

There *are* good editors on Wiki, who really DO try to make it more than just page after page about how their girlfriend is the hottest "evur" or how their middle school is so much better than the rival one. The problem in trying to improve the signal-to-noise ratio is..well...the untamed mass of immature idiots. And in many cases the mature idiots.

From everything I've seen, the first biggest thing that Wiki could do to help itself is simple, but they'll *never* do it: Require registration for edits. Most of the vandalism and pure abject garbage comes from unregistered users posting only with their IP address. And AOHell isn't the most flagrant offender, not by a long shot. Schools - Middle and High Schools - are *easily* the IP ranges vandlizing Wiki the most.

chris319 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 20, 2008, 11:24:39 PM »

See, the topic of music licensing is so drab that it's hardly going to become a lightning rod for miscreants or uninformed fanb0is (you know how I feel about uninformed fanb0is). With regard to game shows, occasionally some ill-informed mythology will creep in, but the sites I've visited haven't been too bad and the contributors have been well-intentioned. Usually the writing is dreadful (can you say bonehead English?) and the fanb0is can name every emcee, substitute emcee, announcer, substitute announcer, model and substitute model, but have no clue as to the executive producer/producer/director/writers, without whom there wouldn't be a show. Sometimes I think some fanb0is believe game show questions are delivered by stork :-)

clemon79 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 20, 2008, 11:48:27 PM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'175696\' date=\'Jan 20 2008, 08:24 PM\']
Sometimes I think some fanb0is believe game show questions are delivered by stork :-)
[/quote]
I always thought Matt Ottinger crapped them.

chris319 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 21, 2008, 12:18:18 AM »

Quote

I always thought Matt Ottinger crapped them.

There you go, being an instigator again :-P

clemon79 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 21, 2008, 12:54:46 AM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'175702\' date=\'Jan 20 2008, 09:18 PM\']

Quote

I always thought Matt Ottinger crapped them.

There you go, being an instigator again :-P
[/quote]
Matt Ottinger could start a hockey fight and the ref would get the extra two for instigating.

chris319 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 21, 2008, 01:31:34 AM »

Holding a grudge against Matt now, are we?

clemon79 · « **Reply #12 on:** January 21, 2008, 01:57:02 AM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'175712\' date=\'Jan 20 2008, 10:31 PM\']
Holding a grudge against Matt now, are we?
[/quote]
Matt Ottinger doesn't hold grudges. Grudges hold Matt Ottinger.

/got nothin'

Clay Zambo · « **Reply #13 on:** January 21, 2008, 12:17:30 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'175700\' date=\'Jan 20 2008, 11:48 PM\']
[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'175696\' date=\'Jan 20 2008, 08:24 PM\']
Sometimes I think some fanb0is believe game show questions are delivered by stork :-)
[/quote]
I always thought Matt Ottinger crapped them.
[/quote]

No, no, no. Everybody knows Matt Ottinger's sh*t doesn't stink. So he couldn't possibly be delivering the material on the post-strike Temptation episodes...

WhammyPower · « **Reply #14 on:** January 21, 2008, 12:47:23 PM »

[quote name=\'Clay Zambo\' post=\'175747\' date=\'Jan 21 2008, 11:17 AM\'] No, no, no. Everybody knows Matt Ottinger's sh*t doesn't stink. So he couldn't possibly be delivering the material on the post-strike Temptation episodes... [/quote]
What post-strike Temptation episodes?