Music Industry to Attack Lyric, Tab Sites

[Kr0m]

:cry:

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews
December 12, 2005, 4:07 PM
The litigious music industry will have a new target in 2006: sites that provide lyrics and scores to popular songs. The Music Publishers' Association says fines and the removal of such Web sites is not enough -- it is even advocating jail time for those operating these sites.

MPA President Lauren Keiser told the BBC Monday that he thought if the MPA would be successful in "[throwing] in some jail time I think we'll be a little more effective". He says the guitar tabs that have been commonplace on music sites for years are "completely illegal."


The effort marks the first time the MPA would embark on a legal effort to protect the copyrights of its members. Individual companies have used the courts to protect their rights in the past.

According to Keiser, the organization plans to go after popular sites that some would think are legal, but are not. The music publishing industry's biggest enemy before the Internet was the copying machine, Keiser said, "but now the Internet is taking more of a bite out of sheet music and printed music sales so we're taking a more proactive stance."

The National Music Publishers' Association is also planning to support the MPA in its legal endeavor.

The industry has already begun to strong-arm lyrics sites off the Internet. Popular Austrian-based PearLyrics was forced off the web on December 6 after a cease and desist letter from British music label Warner/Chappell Music Limited.
...

Betanews

 

[Khayman]

Lyric sites?

And the world comes crumbling down

 

[ray_gillespie]

I'm glad they are to be honest, if I ever want lyrics to a song I can never find a decent fansite for all the stupid spyware-ridden pop-up laden commercial sites whose only purpose is to generate money from (malicous) advertising. I am hoping that this might attempt to close all of those large sites down but leave the smaller fansites as they are. If they want to close all sites with lyrics on then obviously that's a bad thing, but I get so annoyed with all these 123-lyrics.com websites I'll be glad to see the back of them.
In reality though, I don't think much will change, at least not for a long time.

 

[Grandmaster]

Such a pile of ****ing bull****.

ray: try http://songmeanings.net

 

[ray_gillespie]

Ah nice one Grandmaster!

 

[Petros]

The most hardcore of fans are the ones that make tabs and post lyrics. I can't believe they would go after people who hang from every note they put out when they're just appreciating and imitating the music they love.

Ray's got a point about the popup city commercial sites, though!

 

[Admiral Michael]

This is utterly pathetic. There looking everywhere now and it's stupid.

Lyric sites?

And the world comes crumbling down

You said it.

 

[muzikool]

I still fail to understand a business model that involves prosecuting your best customers.

 

[Tittles]

Songmeanings.net is a good website as Grand posted

I don't see how lyrics and tabs are illegal?

Better tell my step dad since he likes to get tabs every so often.

 

[Kr0m]

I'm glad they are to be honest, if I ever want lyrics to a song I can never find a decent fansite for all the stupid spyware-ridden pop-up laden commercial sites whose only purpose is to generate money from (malicous) advertising. I am hoping that this might attempt to close all of those large sites down but leave the smaller fansites as they are. If they want to close all sites with lyrics on then obviously that's a bad thing, but I get so annoyed with all these 123-lyrics.com websites I'll be glad to see the back of them.
In reality though, I don't think much will change, at least not for a long time.

I sort of agree with you there. I hope they're just going after any of these 'lyric' sites that lure people in to generate some sort of $revenue$ via their ads which is probably a common sense 'no-no' now a days...

 

[Mastershakes]

I still fail to understand a business model that involves prosecuting your best customers.

Extremely well said Muzi.

I was drawn to this

but now the Internet is taking more of a bite out of sheet music and printed music sales so we're taking a more proactive stance

ummm... how did they figure this out? I'd be real interested to see the numbers they've fabricated out of thin air on this.

 

[Steevo]

I have about 10 full books for music, and about 5 songs that I have printed off.

What next, mics hidden everywhere so no one can sing-play or teach the music to somewhere else?

 

[SPeedY_B]

I still fail to understand a business model that involves prosecuting your best customers.

money money money money money money money money. The end.

 

[Kush]

remember when they wanted to get names of people who purchased cars from the last 50 years? i bet this will blow over like it

 

[Geffy]

by far the most insane thing I have ever heard

I love hearing the music I love being played live in clubs, even when its not the proper band.

Honestly I would love to hear what the actual artists think of this move.

 

[X-Istence]

by far the most insane thing I have ever heard

I love hearing the music I love being played live in clubs, even when its not the proper band.

Honestly I would love to hear what the actual artists think of this move.

I know a band who has all their lyrics, tabs and other stuff online, will have to get the URL from one of their members sometime. They even put entire albums online, and make money of donations that they ask if you download their albums, than they would make if they were produced by a big music studio.