applesmasher
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Ever come up with a chord progression that sounded really familiar? Is there anyway to check if your notes are already copyrighted? Like a website or something?
Chord Progessions Copyrighted?
- Thread starter applesmasher
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Chord progressions can not be copyrighted, only melodies and lyrics. A riff will of course involve a melody, so if you are talking about a riff, then there may be an issue, but if you are just talking about a series of chords, then it can not be copyrighted. That is why there are so many different songs using rhythm changes and blues progressions. At least, that is what they told me in my copyright classes at Berklee.
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"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
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"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
applesmasher
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cool thats good, I dont really like that anything can be copy righted but o well. So is their a site or something to check your riffs?
Aaron Cheney
Favorite Chord: C 6/9
Blue Bear Sound
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No....applesmasher said:
applesmasher
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How do you keep yourself from putting out a copyrighted melody then?
Aaron Cheney
Favorite Chord: C 6/9
Can you imagine how many songs have lines like "You're my angel" or whatever. Thousands. But the chances of your song being an exact duplicate of someone elses just by random chance are pretty small.
I'm no lawyer, but my understanding is that:
First, somebody has to sue you. Unless an entire song (or at least the chorus) is incredibly, uncannily similar most people won't take this step.
Then they have to prove that you had access and intent to steal the song, or at least a substantial part of the song. If some guy living in a trailer down by the river has a song in his computer that he's copyrighted but never released anywhere, and you've never visited his trailer or even heard of him before becuase he lives in another state, he would have a hard time proving you had access to his song. It wouold end up being a case of "parallel development", which happens all the time.
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I'm no lawyer, but my understanding is that:
First, somebody has to sue you. Unless an entire song (or at least the chorus) is incredibly, uncannily similar most people won't take this step.
Then they have to prove that you had access and intent to steal the song, or at least a substantial part of the song. If some guy living in a trailer down by the river has a song in his computer that he's copyrighted but never released anywhere, and you've never visited his trailer or even heard of him before becuase he lives in another state, he would have a hard time proving you had access to his song. It wouold end up being a case of "parallel development", which happens all the time.
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applesmasher
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interesting.
TexRoadkill
Audio Bum
John Fogerty was sued by his publisher for plaigerizing himself 
I mentioned once in a recording class that chord progressions could not be copyrighted. The instructor, who is also a professional composer with movie industry credits, played the chord progression (rhythm) for "Louie Louie." I may be mis-quoting him, but I think the jist of his point was that although a simple chord progression (G-C-D) may not be copyrightable, the unique sound/rhythm (piece of work) created by another artist IS copyrighted, and if you copy that sound/rhythm you could be liable for copyright infringement.
Aaron Cheney
Favorite Chord: C 6/9
tdukex - that sounds like something coming from a classical composer's point of view. In rock or country, how many songs can you think of where the guitars chug 8th notes on an E?!
Have you ever been listening to the radio and heard Judas Priest's You Got Another Thing Comin' , and then all of a sudden you realize it's that Heart song that starts exactly the same way... I think it's Who Will You Run To? .
But on the other hand, it would only take someone copying the first 5 notes (2 chords) of John William's Star Wars theme played in the same rythm to make him file suit.
It seems there must be some room left in the law for an intelligent, reasoning person to make a judgement.
got mojo?
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Have you ever been listening to the radio and heard Judas Priest's You Got Another Thing Comin' , and then all of a sudden you realize it's that Heart song that starts exactly the same way... I think it's Who Will You Run To? .
But on the other hand, it would only take someone copying the first 5 notes (2 chords) of John William's Star Wars theme played in the same rythm to make him file suit.
It seems there must be some room left in the law for an intelligent, reasoning person to make a judgement.
got mojo?
www.voodoovibe.com
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applesmasher said:
Without copyrights, musicians, writers, artists, and anyone else who works in the arts, would never make any money. Copyright is very important. Be very glad that what is written can be copyrighted. I have many friends who make their living off of copyright. They are not wealthy (nor are most people who make their living off of their intellectual property), but without copyright, they could never afford to do the work they do. I am extremely happy that copyright exists. The only thing I wish is that performance protection extended to sound recordings.
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"Cowards can never be moral."
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applesmasher
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yah in a business facet it makes sense, but from a humanistic point of view....Think of how many notes will be copyrighted 50 years form now and then 100 years. Eventually all the good stuff will be taken.
FattMusiek
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cough Vanilla Ice cough
philboyd studge
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Your copyritten work can be protected and defended only if you register it.
http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/
While there use the search engine to check up on songwriters you may know.
As was said earlier, some chord progressions in the manner that they are played become instantly identifiable; Louie Louie, Green Onions, House of The Rising Sun, etc. So would copying something like that infringe? You bet.
Funny, earlier this week I stole a melody from myself by taking a registered intrumental I wrote some time ago and putting a lyric and new title to it.
http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/
While there use the search engine to check up on songwriters you may know.
As was said earlier, some chord progressions in the manner that they are played become instantly identifiable; Louie Louie, Green Onions, House of The Rising Sun, etc. So would copying something like that infringe? You bet.
Funny, earlier this week I stole a melody from myself by taking a registered intrumental I wrote some time ago and putting a lyric and new title to it.
Aaron Cheney
Favorite Chord: C 6/9
philboyd studge said:
Be careful doing that. If you end up filing suit against yourself things could get messy...
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stonepiano
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Aaron Cheney said:
yeah, but even if you lose, you're still paying yourself........
and both the lawyers, I suppose.
philboyd studge
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Aaron Cheney said:
Well the old one was registered under the name 'Dahahran' so I figured so figured it isn't going anyplace. The song with lyrics is called 'Red Hill'.
onlyfingers
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dafduc said:It's also why Steve Miller and Led Zeppelin are wealthy today, and so many bluesmen died in poverty and obscurity. They outright STOLE songs and claimed them as their own.
Whoever has the best lawyer wins...
Daf
Look in the liner notes. The fine print next to the tune usually identifies the writers of the tune. I don't think Led Zeppelin stole tunes from bluesman. (I think there are two parties--at least--involved. The one or ones who wrote the lyrics and melody, and the publisher of the music. In the '50, I have heard, publishers and producers assigned themselves writing credit for music that the artists had produced. That's theft.)