How to DJ Legally in SL

[Doris Johnsky]

On 5/24/2021 at 2:57 AM, Talon Brown said:

I swear to God it's corporate overreach like this that will slowly push me into becoming a communist.  My playing music over a stream to a few people is no different than playing the CD to a group of friends in my house.  Granted, I know the music industry would love to charge us for that as well but until then they can go f**k off and fight it in court if they wish to waste the time and money for the 1000L in tips I might make on a good night in SL.

To your point, I highly doubt a communist country would be less restrictive than a capitalist country. 

 

It's been my impression than artists aren't as concerned about copyright violation like they were in early heady days of massive file sharing on Napster . 

They make far more in concert sales and everything related in the periphery of concerts now.

I mean, how many people even buy CDs or albums anymore?  Even in the time when that's all you had you'd buy a CD with 12 songs and only listen to 3. 

And they can't be making a killing selling 99 cent  songs on WalMart. com. But, if people are getting songs for free through converters and the like, it's because there's an interest.  And when that artist comes to town they are more likely to pay $100 to go see that concert. This is speculation on my part and based on nothing but anecdotal evidence  

[Sid Nagy]

But, does it mean one can simply ignore the copyrights?
The internet licensing, especially for international streaming of music like the case in SL, still isn't up to par yet.
That makes it very difficult if not impossible to DJ legally correct in SL.
I still haven't found one that has a worldwide coverage for small potatoes streaming like in SL.

 

Edited May 29, 2021 by Sid Nagy

[Desiree Moonwinder]

7 hours ago, Sid Nagy said:

But, does it mean one can simply ignore the copyrights?
The internet licensing, especially for international streaming of music like the case in SL, still isn't up to par yet.
That makes it very difficult if not impossible to DJ legally correct in SL.
I still haven't found one that has a worldwide coverage for small potatoes streaming like in SL.

Then to keep legal, there needs to be a way to allow-or-block so one doesn't stream to countries without license coverage.  The technology is out there.  I've run into web pages that say I can't view specific material from my location, for example. 

In a similar vein, Second Life allows-or-blocks avatars from visiting skilled gaming regions based on location.  

[Talon Brown]

Yet again I'm amazed at the lengths some people are willing to go to in order to placate their corporate overlords.  Geoblocking is a thing, VPNs to bypass it are also a thing.  The internet was designed to survive a nuclear war, it's also designed to route around censorship no matter how valid one may consider it to be.  I personally consider that a feature, not a bug.

Edited May 30, 2021 by Talon Brown

[Sid Nagy]

7 hours ago, Desiree Moonwinder said:

Then to keep legal, there needs to be a way to allow-or-block so one doesn't stream to countries without license coverage.  The technology is out there.  I've run into web pages that say I can't view specific material from my location, for example. 

In a similar vein, Second Life allows-or-blocks avatars from visiting skilled gaming regions based on location.  

I don't think it will enhance the atmosphere in a bar or club, when two people TP in and it then shows that one of them is blocked to hear the music.
I doubt they will ask friends to join the party.

Edited May 30, 2021 by Sid Nagy

[Finite]

18 hours ago, Talon Brown said:

Yet again I'm amazed at the lengths some people are willing to go to in order to placate their corporate overlords.  Geoblocking is a thing, VPNs to bypass it are also a thing.  The internet was designed to survive a nuclear war, it's also designed to route around censorship no matter how valid one may consider it to be.  I personally consider that a feature, not a bug.

It's not really a corporate thing. Of course there's  big record labels and what not but there's a lot of smaller records and independent musicians who like their work protected too. Artists sell the right to their music so they can get a nice royalty check in the mail every so often for the rest of their lives. The companies that go around sniffing for copyright infringements do it because it's literally their only purpose.

[Desiree Moonwinder]

On 5/26/2021 at 2:23 PM, anthonytorino said:

Still to many ripping off youtube and other services, wish they will implement digital static to prevent it. Usually you can tell when its ripped.

Yeah, when I was DJ'ing, I became unpopular because I would not drop my music collection in a dropbox-type folder for "sharing."  Perhaps people don't do that anymore because transferring extensive collections may get noticed by net bots.  There has to be some reason people are ripping audio off YouTube one-by-one; that's way too much work for the DJs I knew.  There was also much pressure to share SAM, Virtual DJ, and other accounts and people got ugly with you for not "sharing."  I'm glad I'm out, for it was not all peace, love, and moonbeams. 

[Rat Luv]

Nooo... you don't need to apply for anything if you want to DJ on SL. I can't think of a single SL DJ who had to do this, or any SL club that needed a 'licence'. 

Trust me on this. 

[Alwin Alcott]

3 hours ago, Rat Luv said:

Nooo... you don't need to apply for anything if you want to DJ on SL. I can't think of a single SL DJ who had to do this, or any SL club that needed a 'licence'. 

Trust me on this. 

that wasn't the question but : how to do it legally.
Think we nearly all know that's not how most do it.

[DJ Setzer]

While this post is a bit old at this point.  I am going to post some correct information for those who may come across this piece.

 

First thing you should know.  I am a retired RL Dj of 20 years and have an advanced understanding of licensing and things that apply so BMI, ASCAP et cetera.

Second, when you go to a brick and mortar store (Walmart in example) or when you pay for a unlimited service (Amazon, Spotify et cetera) or even when you buy a download from the same you are pay for a.... Private license.  This means that the song or album you have purchased or streaming is for private individual use only and not for "Public performance".

Public performance, what is it?  When buy tracks that have Public performance licenses associated with them (you know when you have bought this type of track) these are licensed for Public Performance which additionally means you are allowed to make money from playing them to a public audience.  But there is a catch...

The catch.  The venue in which you are playing also requires that it have a license with both ASCAP and BMI (they have the largest and most of the catalog) in which for you to play said music and for those around to have the...wait for it...right to hear that music.

Having said all that.  There are additional requirements and considerations to those that wish to stream music out to the net.  Many of the above with respect to music being licensed for public performance still apply.  But there are other rules and regulations.

So for those asking the question...Is it legal.  You've been given the broad strokes here.  Which is to say, largely no.  It's a good start to have music licensed for public performance.  This is the technical answer for those who appreciate it.   Many people have been RL Dj's and in other forms and have never know this to be a thing.  But know this, the next time you stop into your local bar or club and someone plays a song from the jukebox...Those song are public performance and the owner has paid into ASCAP and BMI for you to have the right to hear those songs.  Keep that in mind.

 

[Bdobson]

As a DJ on SL as well as a former RL Radio DJ I can say without a doubt, playing mainstream music in SL would in fact be a violation of the copyright royalties act. In a situation where you are playing to hundreds of thousands of people, the royalty payments would add up fast. Be very careful what you play in world. People who work for the recording industry can and may be lurking at your sets. First off, if at all possible, NEVER EVER download from Youtube. They are painfully obvious. Second but most important ,use a reputed source like Amazon who pays the royalties for every track you buy, much the same as is done when buying a CD. I have seen many DJs who download from youtube and it is only obvious to me (and those same recording industry people) when you have "Artist - Song Title (official video)" (or something similar) in the title. you can get royally screwed and so can the club owners.

[Max Quirky]

Laws vary from country to control (and possible states even if in the USA). However for anyone in the UK it is really quite simple to legally play live or recorded music to an audience - https://www.gov.uk/licence-to-play-live-or-recorded-music

 

[Setsuki Takeda]

Most of the music I own was bought artist direct, not from a corporate label, so just an email from the artist who actually *owns* their own music would let you DJ it legally.

We all need to stop feeding these monstrosities like the RIAA.

Plenty of music out there they don't have *any* claim to, and often it is better than the latest overplayed song you hear in every store you step into when you go out.

[StarlanderGoods]

47 minutes ago, NanashiNyx said:

Most of the music I own was bought artist direct, not from a corporate label, so just an email from the artist who actually *owns* their own music would let you DJ it legally.

We all need to stop feeding these monstrosities like the RIAA.

Plenty of music out there they don't have *any* claim to, and often it is better than the latest overplayed song you hear in every store you step into when you go out.

A lot of classic rock, whose authors are long gone is held by some of the most predatory states, and its a big chunk of SL venues that use it.   I dont need to go to an SL venue to listen to The Sultans of Swing, but if the question is just about legality, Im pretty sure its illegal to stream.

[Nick0678]

Chances are everyone is illegal in SL and doesn't have a license but playing for 10-100 people.. is no big deal so nobody cares.

[Sid Nagy]

Driving ten miles to fast is no big deal either, until a cop comes after you.
Than you have to pay up.

Same with dj-ing in SL.

I even wonder if it is okay to stream a radio station on a public accessible plot without paying royalties.
I know even barber shops over here in NL have to pay BUMA-STEMRA (the Dutch music royalty organization) a fee to play radio where customers can here the music.

Edited February 11, 2022 by Sid Nagy

[Silent Mistwalker]

In the near future we will all be forced to pay for the air we breathe.
 

[Finite]

14 minutes ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

In the near future we will all be forced to pay for the air we breathe.
 

In the future?

 

[Silent Mistwalker]

17 minutes ago, Finite said:

In the future?

 

 

If you're breathing that you're committing suicide.

[Nick0678]

1 hour ago, Sid Nagy said:

Driving ten miles to fast is no big deal either, until a cop comes after you.

Then you have to pay.

Pft don't remind me of that, still have some 10-15+ years old unpaid tickets for speeding and illegal racing (some for parking as well), hope i won't get behind bars like Al Capone at my old age.

(** Note to self.. never stop at police checks, you will get a ticket.)

[Coffee Pancake]

This threads new theme tune.

 

[Sid Nagy]

I wonder, does LL pay royalties for the use of Youtube clips on their site?

This was my tune in the time I was DJ-ing as a student.
The Dutchies here might recognize it from the Europarade (where I borrowed it from) back then.

 

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by Sid Nagy

[Rowan Amore]

3 hours ago, Finite said:

In the future?

 

More like this...

[Finite]

It’s air. And we pay for it…..

 

[Silent Mistwalker]

There is a fool born every day.