i would not be dong the exact versions, but rather using my own voicings and improvising on the melody. i would be doing standards by miles, coltrane, evans, etc. and i would be playing them on solo piano. Is this against copyright laws?
2007-03-11 16:21:48 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
If someone else composed (and thus owns) the songs you are playing, then you would either need permission or you would need to pay a performance royalty.
A performance royalty is a special provision of the copyright code that applies to certain musical performances. The amount of the royalty is fixed by statute, rather than being negotiated directly through a license.
This doesn't apply if you composed the original music and lyrics, or if you are creating variants of classical music where the original composes have been dead for over a century.
2007-03-11 16:26:24 · answer #1 · answered by coragryph 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I'm afraid this is not going to be real useful, but I hope it gets you started. I have a friend who did exactly what you are doing. His jazz group recorded a CD of some 20 standards. He was able to take care of the royalties online, paying a not exorbitant fee based upon the number of CDs he intended to produce. As I recall, he was licensing 600 CDs, and it cost about $30 per number. I wish I was able to tell you more, but I wanted to let you know that this is necessary, is possible, and is not too expensive. ASCAP or BMI may be able to give you more information.
2007-03-12 01:36:23 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, a recording of a standard, regardless of the interpretation, is a 'derivitive work' in copyright terms. You need to obtain a mechanical license to record it. Contact BMI or ASCAP for further information. Unfortunately, such licenses are very expensive - you may find it just isn't worth the cost to make the CD.
2007-03-11 23:26:36 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
improvisation is okay, some standards are public domain. some you have to check with BMI for their status. Sony owns a lot of books, you'd probably have to pay them for the names mentioned. Why not compose your own tunes? Everyone is sick of listening to that old stuff. I have my own desktop studio. I can write my own junk and listen to it. Some of my own songs sounds as good a Bill Evans'...well, uh, kind of...uh, okay, maybe not
2007-03-11 23:33:09 · answer #4 · answered by Straycat 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
you should get permission. especially if you intend on selling it
2007-03-11 23:26:26 · answer #5 · answered by Catman 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋