dj licence

[jimmy87 0]

hi all, me and my mate have recently started our own dj business, we have already done a disco for a friend of a friend but are now wondering what legal licence we require to play music at local halls etc because we have had 3 phone calls to book us up in the last week. we play from cd's. would be grateful for any kind of information http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/headphone.gif thanks

 

jimmy

[ChrisPointon 0]

If you play music from original CD's at private functions (Birthdays, Weddings, Kids Parties, Anniversaries etc) then you currently do not need any licence(s).

 

[jimmy87 0]

thnaks very much, i have been trying to find that out everywhere!! http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/goodjob.gif

[Welsh Audio Man 21 0]

Yes, Chris is right, as long as your using Original CD's, then your fine. Im not 100% sure as to what is required on the copied CD front, all i have been told is, don't play any track unless you own a shop bought original. There are people out there, looking to hunt down DJs without an original copy as my friend found out the Hard way!

[Dukesy 0]

QUOTE (welshyDJ18 @ May 11 2006, 10:20 PM)

There are people out there, looking to hunt down DJs without an original copy as my friend found out the Hard way!

Without names, please don't hesitate to share the story.

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/042.gif

[djwesty 0]

QUOTE (welshyDJ18 @ May 11 2006, 09:20 PM)

Im not 100% sure as to what is required on the copied CD front, all i have been told is, don't play any track unless you own a shop bought original.

please correct me if im wrong, but is not not illegal to copy a cd even if you own the original,unless you have the right license and permission from the owners of the recording.is there any legal way that i can use legal downloads,can i copy them to an mp3 player and use them, if i dont change the format or do i need a license for that as well?

[Welsh Audio Man 21 0]

Two guys in smartly dressed suits came into a venue he was DJ'ing at, after an hour, they approached him and asked to see his CD collection whilst showing official badges, i didn't see the badge, so i cant describe. They then asked if he had the originals of the set of copies, he replied "Yes, at home". They took his details etc. showed up at his house a couple of days later to descover he didnt have originals. A short while after, he recieved a fine for quite a sum of money!

[ChrisPointon 0]

To copy a CD to MP3 you will firstly need a digital dj licence (from £200 per annum) to playback the tracks. But in addition to the Digital Licence from PPL you will also need permission from the MCPS and also written permission from the individual recording artist just to convert the format - before you even play it back!. The latter part of this (and the fees) are possibly likely to change later in the year as negotiations with the PPL and MCPS continue.

 

To make a copy of a cd as a back up or to convert vinyl to cd-r you currently need an SG-6 licence from the MCPS, and invidual permission from each copyright holder. Again this *may* change to a more user friendly system at some point *if* it is bundled with the Digital licence.

 

Using legal downloads is subject to the terms and conditions imposed by the download merchant. In most cases it is perfectly legal and acceptable to burn the track to CD. Some, such as Digital 7 will allow you to use the download on upto 3 pc's, burn the track to CD or use in an Ipod or MP3 player, all perfectly legally. However each site seems to have different restrictions, so it is worthwile reading the terms before parting with your money, and always keep your purchase information and credit card receipts!.

[Welsh Audio Man 21 0]

I have been advised that, aslong as you have made your legal contribution towards the owner or artist of the track, then you are permitted to copy that track. That is what i have been advised in the past, but it could be wrong. Does anyone know the actual official rules to this?

[ChrisPointon 0]

QUOTE

I have been advised that, aslong as you have made your legal contribution towards the owner or artist of the track, then you are permitted to copy that track

 

Not according to the MCPS. When you buy a track, you only buy the right to play the media in the physical format which you purchased it in. When you convert a CD to another format, ie rip it to MP3, even if its an original then you need to pay royalties and purchase the relevant licences and also obtain permission from the artiste. Even though its your CD, its not your recording.

 

The only exception to this are legal downloads, but only then where the track has been used in accordance with the terms on the website, or whatever you agreed to when you signed up / checked out your purchase.

 

Nobody said it had to be fair, this is the UK after all where we blunder around, 40 years behind every one else and money always overrides consumer rights http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/smile.gif

 

In many other countries such as Canada and the U.S it is LEGAL to make one back up of all original material that you own under fair use rights, providing its not for resale purposes or lent out, and you don't play the original and copy at the same time. Are the UK DJ's and Consumers getting a raw deal?, certainly!, but nobody is doing anything about it, so all we can do is to advise you on what is law currently.

[PEDJ 0]

Although it looks inevitable that there will be a joint license in the near future, there is nothing stopping anyone taking the license issuers to a copyright tribunal....if the license is unsatisfactory http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/rolleyes.gif

 

Further reading!

[ChrisPointon 0]

QUOTE

there is nothing stopping anyone taking the license issuers to a copyright tribunal

 

Of course the only people to make out of that will be the solicitors!.

 

Unfortunately the UK also lack the ability of easily filing class actions, on behalf of groups of consumers, like they can in the U.S. Meaning that any legal action has to be funded out of your own pocket, and that can cost £10,000's or even £100,000's

[DJ Marky Marc 0]

QUOTE

I have been advised that, aslong as you have made your legal contribution towards the owner or artist of the track, then you are permitted to copy that track

 

like the boys say , NO NO NO you cant do this..

 

 

[partychris 0]

QUOTE

Using legal downloads is subject to the terms and conditions imposed by the download merchant. In most cases it is perfectly legal and acceptable to burn the track to CD. Some, such as Digital 7 will allow you to use the download on upto 3 pc's, burn the track to CD or use in an Ipod or MP3 player, all perfectly legally. However each site seems to have different restrictions, so it is worthwile reading the terms before parting with your money, and always keep your purchase information and credit card receipts!.

 

I contacted 2 download sites 1 i use and 1 i dont use about converting the downloads to cd and using them on a the one i dont use and was thinking about downloading a couple of tunes from was XPRESS BEATS, this is the e-mail i received back from them last week ..

 

QUOTE

Hi Chris, I'm afraid this is a bit of a grey area. Technically you are not allowed to make any copies of any tracks on any format.  We are seeking clarification from some of our labels on this but it is my belief that no one is going to be prosecuted for copying a track for their own purposes that they have obtained legally. Sorry I cannot give you a definitive answer on this but it is a very difficult area

 

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/533.gif

[ChrisPointon 0]

So the only download company who clearly advertise the ability to legally burn tracks from their download service to CD is 7-Digital.

 

Taken from their help page:-

 

QUOTE

What does "License Acquisition" mean? A) When you purchase a track, our system will issue you a personal license enabling you to play the track on up to 3 computers as well as burn the track to CD and transfer to a compatible portable music player

 

QUOTE

Q) What is DRM? A) DRM stands for Digital Rights Management and is a technology that can help protect the copyright of artists and record labels by helping prevent illegaland unauthorised copying. Customers who buy tracks from this service can makepersonal CD copies of all tracks purchased and also transfer to their portable music players

[dj spud 0]

some good advice there

[Paul Forsyth 0]

Hi guys - not been around as much as I'd hoped for a bit - but here is my view on it,

MCPS - have a licence that Chris described that is not designed for dj's but is a way (kind of) to work within the law as far as you can. This licence allows you to transfer music from one format to another.

MCPS look after composers and lyricists and their copyright.

 

PPL launched a "Digital" dj licence in sept 05 -This licence has been met with a lot of opposition, for its restriction as much as its cost - it only concerns itself with moving music to hardrive based players and does not include cdr.

PPL represent the artists playing the music and the original sound recording copyright.

 

Unfortunately PPL did not research the needs of the dj adequetly before issuing their licence but are currently reviewing it. As it stands there is no way to legally move music from vinyl, cd, or mp3 to cd other than if the download agreement allows for it as mentioned in an earlier post.

 

MCPS have had the benefit (i hope that's the right word http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/fear.gif ) of getting input from The Licence Working Party before issuing a dj licence that originally was going to be very simular to the PPL one. They are currently in the process of putting a licence proposal before their board and we should have further details in the next 4 weeks or so.

 

I hope this helps

 

Paul Forsyth

Vice Chairman - SEDA

Member - DJ Licensing Working Party

[csmultimedia 0]

im sorry to butt in on this but my mate was covering for me at yates when i was on holiday and had someone approach him and give him a letter from some governing body to do with music copyright, it stated that as a dj, you can copy your cd collection to mp3 without having to buy a digital PPL, if i get hold of a scanner i will up the letter, the man told him to pass it on to all djs

[Gary 0]

I think that it must have been a spoof letter - I've heard of a couple going around, both incorrect, and both generated by either a DJ who feels that that ought to be how it should work, or keen to spread dis-information to stop local club/pub owners asking to see Larry Lappys PPL Digital DJ License - or by a "why not start DJ using our PC based systems" type company keen to shift all the stock they thought would sell really well, up until word of the licences became thankfully widespread amoungst DJs. I've personally experienced such a company computer company deliberately avoid mentioning the (soon to be updated - fingers crossed) Digital DJ License, despite being given many opportunities during their sales pitch to mention it.

 

As it stands theres two licenses to choose from for people who want to move songs/tracks from their current/purchased format onto/into a different format - each license has it's own "joyous" smallprint. Also, each will be better, or worse for particular DJ's depending on exactly what they want to do with their music formats.

 

Currently available:

 

PPL's Digital DJ Licence. An annual license around £240 per annum, which covers DJs at private functions eg: Family Wedding, Family Birthday etc, for moving upto 20000 existing CD's/Records etc to hard drive.

 

MCPS's SG6 Licence. A one-off payment of £500 which includes rights to move around 5000 tracks from virtually any format to virtually any other format. The unfortunate downside is that the license holder (The DJ, in our case) has to write to each record label asking for their £permission to move their tracks across formats using the SG6.

 

 

The only slightly interesting loophole (at the moment) seems to be that if you buy MP3 files directly from authorised/recognised websites eg: the .79p a track type sites, then these files apparently dont require either license, as they are bought as MP3's and used as MP3's so no format change is taking place. However, different authorised sites have different smallprint and usage conditions about "personal use only" etc.

Edited May 31, 2006 by Gary

[Phil Cunnington 0]

QUOTE (Chris_Pointon @ May 12 2006, 11:51 AM)

So the only download company who clearly advertise the ability to legally burn tracks from their download service  to CD  is 7-Digital.

If you look at woolworths co uk, as well as being very reasonably priced, they have a clear identification of the licence rights that come with each track - I guess these depend on the deal they have with the record company.

 

You can see what these rights are before downloading. The rights displayed are:-

 

Play Count:

Number of times you can play the music before it stops working. Usually unlimited

 

Expiry Date:

Date on which music will stop working. Usually unlimited.

 

Platform:

Number of Microsoft Windows based computers the music can be used and played on.

 

CD Burns:

Number of times the music can be copied onto CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R as a CD audio file. (Mostly 3 times)

 

Transfers to Portable Player:

Number of times the music can be transferred to a compatible portable music player.

 

On the LWP web site there is a link to the BPI web site area that shows a list of digital download services for the UK. You can use that as a base from which to check out which sites suit your needs best.

 

[Dukesy 0]

Actually, the Worldwide directory of Authorised Digital Music Services can be found here and is linked on the DJ Associates site however the PRO MUSIC website admits it is not an exhaustive list (they can not guarantee the accuracy of the information supplied) but it does look pretty up to date!