BBC played my track without asking

Squiksilvery

New member
So I tuned into the The Friday Night Gerbil on BBC Radio Shropshire to listen to a great live band called Grandeur Rat. A few minutes into the show I hear my music, the entire outro section of our tune "Pathetic", listen here:



They use the whole length of it as background music to talk over, they did not mention me, my band, or the title of the track. As I am not signed to a record label, surely this is theft?

what are your views?
 
Squiksilvery said:
So I tuned into the The Friday Night Gerbil on BBC Radio Shropshire to listen to a great live band called Grandeur Rat. A few minutes into the show I hear my music, the entire outro section of our tune "Pathetic", listen here:



They use the whole length of it as background music to talk over, they did not mention me, my band, or the title of the track. As I am not signed to a record label, surely this is theft?

what are your views?
call an attorney pronto and have him tell the BBcC that you will not take further legal action of they pay the royalties/ fees due and if they give credit on the air for the music used in the show.
 
First of all, congratulations on having your music played by the BBC! That shows that your music is being heard and liked by those hearing it.

I'm not sure that going in immediately threatening legal action is the right approach. First, try to track down who actually chose the music. The producer of the program, the director, whomever. Then contact them and the show itself as well, if they are different. I'd take a non-confrontational attitude to begin with.

It's kind of amazing that hearing your music on the air leaves you with the first impression that you are getting ripped off. I mean, isn't the whole idea to get your music on the air?

Try to use this to your advantage, see if you can make some connections to these people. Of course, it goes without saying that you should be compensated and credited for your music. But go in light and easy to begin with, in my opinion. You *should* have a legal opinion though, so contact an attorney before beginning this. Be informed, but don't go in guns blazing until you've gotten a legal opinion and have at least tried a smoother approach.

My two cents, feel free to ignore.
 
Excellent advice as always, Sonic... going in with a harsh attitude isn't going to get you very far, but being calm and collected will probably get you the result you desire :)
 
I agree, I've a friend how is a lawyer so I'm going to get him involved, he'll find it a fun challenge! - I've emailed the show, and the BBC, asking where they got the track and whether they were aware that I was not informed of its use etc...

I'll keep you posted with their response - Its Bank Holiday (national holiday) today here in the UK so nothing will happen till tomorrow...

I'm going to record the section of the show with the track on, and I'll put it up as an MP3 for you guys to hear.

...still.. I don't know what I'm entitled to, in terms of £££

ha

we'll see,

Cheers all
 
I just noticed that this was played on a radio program. For some reason I thought it was a TV program when I read it before.

Radio is a different animal. Royalty collection for broadcast radio, at least here in the USA, is spotty at best. And my album received a good amount of airplay on independent radio stations across the US and world.

I don't think anybody ever asked me for permission to play my music on the radio. And I don't think they have to. I mean, people spend a fortune on promoters just to get their tunes on the radio! So it's a great thing when it happens.

On my BMI royalty sheet I'll get a few dollars from here or there across the world from time to time. Like I'll see that it got played in Venezuala or some eastern European country, and I'll wonder "how the hell did they get my CD?".

As far as the money you are entitled to, I don't know what that would be in the UK. In the US it would be a very small amount. Don't get your hopes up.

Unfortunately, what you might be doing by having your lawyer contact them is ensuring that they won't use your tracks again. I'd focus more on trying to build a relationship and getting credit or an on-air mention by name. Be really positive with them. That will be worth far more than a few pennies of royalties that will *maybe* buy you one drink at the pub.
 
that makes sense, the lawyer is a mate who I'll mention it to, I'm not going to set him on the BBC to make me rich! ha

just wondered about the legality of it all really

cheers
 
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