These music companies are getting more and more rediculous...

The music industry is to extend its copyright war by taking legal action against websites offering unlicensed song scores and lyrics.

The US Music Publishers' Association (MPA), which represents sheet music companies, will launch its first campaign against such sites in 2006.

MPA president Lauren Keiser said he wanted site owners to be jailed.

He said unlicensed guitar tabs and song scores were widely available on the internet but were "completely illegal".

Mr Keiser said he did not just want to shut websites and impose fines, saying if authorities can "throw in some jail time I think we'll be a little more effective".

Bitter battles

The move comes after several years of bitter legal battles against unauthorised services allowing users to download recordings for free.

Publishing companies have taken action against websites in the past, but this will be the first co-ordinated legal campaign by the MPA.

The MPA would target "very big sites that people would think are legitimate and very, very popular", Mr Keiser said.

"The Xerox machine was the big usurper of our potential income," he 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."

David Israelite, president of the National Music Publishers' Association, added his concerns.

"Unauthorised use of lyrics and tablature deprives the songwriter of the ability to make a living, and is no different than stealing," he said.

"Music publishers and songwriters will consider all tools under the law to stop this illegal behaviour."

Sandro del Greco, who runs Tabhall.co.uk, said the issue was not serious enough to warrant jail time and sites like his were not necessarily depriving publishers of income.

Learn

"I play the drums mainly but I play the guitar as well. I run the website and I still buy the [tab] books," he said.

"The tabs online aren't deadly accurate so if someone really wants to know it they'll buy the book.

"But most of the bands I listen to don't have tab books to buy so if you get them online, that's the only way you can really learn it unless you work it out yourself."

The campaign comes after lyric-finding software PearLyrics was forced off the internet by a leading music publishing company, Warner Chappell.

'No alternative'

PearLyrics worked with Apple's iTunes, searching the internet to find lyrics for songs in a user's collection.

"I just don't see why PearLyrics should infringe the copyright of Warner Chappell because all I'm doing is searching publicly-available websites," PearLyrics developer Walter Ritter said.

"It would be different if they had an alternative service that also provided lyrics online and also integrated [with iTunes] like PearLyrics did. But they don't offer anything like that at all."

A Warner Chappell statement said the company wanted to ensure songwriters were "fairly compensated for their works and that legitimate sites with accurate lyrics are not undermined by unlicensed sites".

"We have requested that PearWorks provide us with information regarding the sources of their lyrics, and have further asked that they discontinue the service if these sources are operating without a licence."

that's just plain pathetic. i use tabs all the time. sometimes, it's the only way to learn to play a song. if you don't have an ear for music then you done. Alot of bands don't even print music books. how else are we supposed to play along?

What I want to know is, why is the MPA the one doing this?

CJ

What I want to know is, why is the MPA the one doing this?
They're a puppet for the FCC, and everyone knows it.


[/sarcasm]

All I have to say is: ::]

sheesh, stupid three letter acronymed government agencies. Next thing you know the ATF will get involved ::]

They're a puppet for the FCC, and everyone knows it.


[/sarcasm]
I was thinking they might be working with the RIAA to take some of the heat away from them for a while.

CJ

I was thinking they might be working with the RIAA to take some of the heat away from them for a while.

You know, it wouldn't surprise me.

are you kidding me?

*sigh* I really don't have $15 bucks to spend on a tab/whatever book.

Who fracking cares? Lol. So a retarded agency is starting a retarded campaign, do you actually expect it to get anywhere? Their case has no real support...from anyone. Let me spell it out for ya', N-O-T G-O-N-N-A H-A-P-P-E-N

It's the same basic principal as with performing music live without permission. The bands write and own the songs so technically, you can't play them for a crowd unless you have permission to. This is just the MPA/RIAA trying to get more money.

CJ

Would the tabs on this site be coverd in that?

Unless the band says otherwise, yes. Though I'm certain we can get permission from John without a problem if we don't already have it.

CJ

This is totally pathetic... As has been stated, most bands do not have song and lyrics books.

To those who do: Fair enough
To those who don't: You have no right to whine, you are losing no money.

That's so retarded! How's the agency gonna keep track of everyone that gets on the thousands of tabs websites? And how are they gonna track down all of the users and arrest all the millions of users??

Yeah, I don't think that that's gonna happen in this life time...or the next...grr...that makes me soooo mad

You know what?
We're all probably going to jail for liking music.
and trying to play the songs we love so much ourselves;with the music right there. (I have to eat, more on this later. I'm a little annoyed)

Really, Really stupid.


wow...stupid agencies continue to amaze me

jeeze... pretty soon it's going to be illegal to sing the songs we want to without "written permission". this is so dumb it's funny. i thought it was a joke at first.

*shakes his head* What are they going to do next? Ban modernized notation because any notes can be copied?

Hm...maybe I shouldn't do any more drum tabbing. The RIAA might get me. :)

although i mostly play by ear and don't use tabs that often, this is a very VERY stupid case. i mean, you might as well sue me for figuring out the songs by ear. and the lyric thing is even dumber...i mean, if you listen to a song enough, you can sing the song and know the lyrics in your head...so to sue a website for showing lyrics for the songs is just really stupid...to be truly fair, they will have to make a law that you can't sing along to any of the songs...HA.

I just found out that there is still a question whether "Tabbing" is considered fair use by the 1998 Digital Millenium Copyright Act as it is considered notation by music standards.

Hm...

"MPA president Lauren Keiser said he wanted site owners to be jailed."

Unfortuantely, they can't do that, under the DMCA. They can, however, shut down the site, but they have to state under penalty of perjury in order for them to shut it down. Without it, they can't do diddly squat.

So there may be hope on the horizon after all! :azn:

Hmm, if I'm not mistaken, the article said it would arrest the owners of such sites, not the users. So, instead of going into a frenzy and printing off all the tabs I currently want, I'll just take advantage of these people risking themselves for the sake of tabs, cause SOMEONE is still gonna have tabs somewhere. IF this goes through. Hah.

that is crazy...

though they can't stop people with developed ears to tab the songs and share with friends...

Holy stinkin' crud. That's insane. They can't do that to us. It's evil. I feel like crying just thinking about life without tabs. There's no way that'll ever happen. I hope.

jeeze... pretty soon it's going to be illegal to sing the songs we want to without "written permission". this is so dumb it's funny. i thought it was a joke at first.

Yeah "Sorry ma'am, you have to have a permit in order to sing that song. Looks like Im gonna have to put you away."

Hooray for killing the music industry even more...

Wonder what will happen to sites that say, post their own tabs (Like on Sanctus Real's site they have 3 of their tabs up)...

Hooray for killing the music industry even more...

Wonder what will happen to sites that say, post their own tabs (Like on Sanctus Real's site they have 3 of their tabs up)...
hahaha....

"YOU'RE GOING TO JAIL FOR PUTTING YOUR BAND'S TABS ONLINE!!"

I was trying to find tabs for a few songs the other day so gleefully turned on my computer knowing I would have easy access to great guitar tabs and chords using mxtabs.net. Instead, I was faced with some weird sputnikmusic site. I decide to google it, just in case I typed something in wrong for some strange reason, and clicked on the site of mxtabs only to, once again, be faced with sputnikmusic. Can someone please tell me where the heck mxtabs went? And if it is not coming back, where is a good place to find guitar tabs? It's very much appreciated, thanks!!

-keep rockin for Jesus :afro:

MusicianForums.com/SputnikMusic is the former sister site for the tab site Mxtabs.net. As most of you are aware, Mxtabs has been shut down due to legal threats from the MPA. But we hope that you'll find great resources for musicians and music lovers here at the forums, and at our music review site, Sputnik Music. Stay tuned for updates.

I have no idea where to find good tabs. Christiantabs.com is it? But I don't know.

no it won't happen besides most people can right out their own songs by ear anyway if people really want to learn it they aren't going to have to buy the books its just too easy to figure that stuff out on ure own. The MPA won't make it illegal to have tabs online. it just won't happen

jeeze... pretty soon it's going to be illegal to sing the songs we want to without "written permission".

It would be funny to see them try to enforce that.

Clicky. Click click. Clicky. PRINT

Clickity-click click clicky. PRINT

Yay for tabs!

LOL! Funny there.

I have a whole binder full of guitar tabs. Its awesome because its really easy to keep track of them.

it's just another way the Man is puttin' us down...WE GOTTA STICK IT TO HIM!!!

ok, nvm that....I don't get it, I mean, it's not the EXACT tab so how is it infringement? the whole deal about "the artists can't make a living", oh my gosh, they have got to be kidding! When they show a member of the Rolling Stones' house on "The Fabulous Life of..." on VH1, and it has a 30 acre pool with flat-panel tvs built into the floor (maybe not, but I'm sure they could afford it) I don't think a $20 tab book is going to keep them from paying for groceries, taxes, etc. This is rediculous...

it's just another way the Man is puttin' us down...WE GOTTA STICK IT TO HIM!!!

ok, nvm that....I don't get it, I mean, it's not the EXACT tab so how is it infringement? the whole deal about "the artists can't make a living", oh my gosh, they have got to be kidding! When they show a member of the Rolling Stones' house on "The Fabulous Life of..." on VH1, and it has a 30 acre pool with flat-panel tvs built into the floor (maybe not, but I'm sure they could afford it) I don't think a $20 tab book is going to keep them from paying for groceries, taxes, etc. This is rediculous...

Maybe they're trying to protect the obscure artists?

it's just another way the Man is puttin' us down...WE GOTTA STICK IT TO HIM!!!

ok, nvm that....I don't get it, I mean, it's not the EXACT tab so how is it infringement? the whole deal about "the artists can't make a living", oh my gosh, they have got to be kidding! When they show a member of the Rolling Stones' house on "The Fabulous Life of..." on VH1, and it has a 30 acre pool with flat-panel tvs built into the floor (maybe not, but I'm sure they could afford it) I don't think a $20 tab book is going to keep them from paying for groceries, taxes, etc. This is rediculous...

yeh, but not all musicians are rich like that..
a LOT are struggling to just make a living... and i wouldnt beleive everything you see on VH1 either... its like any other media.. its half full of crap.
1 $20 book may not make a difference.. 1 $30 dollar album cd wont make much difference either... but when you get 2 thousand pirvated cd albums for example, then it does start to make a difference...

true...but most obscure artists don't put out tab books...that's where tab sites come in...

ok guys...here's my opinion...i could care less if tab's got illegal. if it does happen, it would actually help out guitarists alot more because they would be forced to play by ear. for me, i play by ear and i rarely look at tab sites. but hey that's just me and noone has to listen to me.

yah, I agree 101... It'd help me cause I can't tab out or play by ear worth half of half of a penny...

This whole thing is stupid. I have always been very good at figuring out songs by ear, but there are those times that I just can't get it down. That's when i go to the tab sites. They've helped a lot.

There are several statements in that article that make NO sense whatsoever, I wont quote, but ill paraphrase.

1. We cant just "buy the songbook" for whatever band we want to learn songs from, MOST bands dont even have a songbook! Skillet doesnt have one single songbook. And only the most popular albums even have songbooks made.

2. We cant all "figure it out by ear, the old fashioned way." Not all of us have good ears to figure out songs with.

3. Since not all of us can figure out songs by ear, we have Tabs, so we can SHARE our own ear transcriptions. If you make tabs illegal, you would have to make guitar TEACHING illegal, because half of what guitar teachers do is figure stuff out by ear so you can play it. For inexperienced players anyway.

There, I have just made the case for tabs.

good points stell. when i had guitar lessons, the first 8 months i learned out of classical music books, but for the remaining 4 years and some odd months... i learned strictly from tabs.

unless they inplemented this in every country we will always have free tabs.. if people got fined or jailed or whatever in America for hosting free tabs, they will just have it hosted somewhere else in the world.

There are several statements in that article that make NO sense whatsoever, I wont quote, but ill paraphrase.

1. We cant just "buy the songbook" for whatever band we want to learn songs from, MOST bands dont even have a songbook! Skillet doesnt have one single songbook. And only the most popular albums even have songbooks made.

2. We cant all "figure it out by ear, the old fashioned way." Not all of us have good ears to figure out songs with.

3. Since not all of us can figure out songs by ear, we have Tabs, so we can SHARE our own ear transcriptions. If you make tabs illegal, you would have to make guitar TEACHING illegal, because half of what guitar teachers do is figure stuff out by ear so you can play it. For inexperienced players anyway.

There, I have just made the case for tabs.
anyone who really wants to be a good guitarist can learn to figure out by ear...but otherwise you can just go the easy way and look at tabs.

Well, you have to remember that the MPA is dead last in their artist rouster signups for thier Copyrighted ownment (If you don't know what that is, let's just say it's hard to describe). The leaders is SOCAN, BMI and ASCAP. MPA is a distant 4th because of crap like this.

Learn your scales and tabs wont be needed I've only been play 5-6 years and its just listening close and you'll learn a tune