Should Tab Sites Be Legal?

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Should tab sites be legal?

  • Yes...I don't know what I'd do without them!!!!

    Votes: 175 85.0%

  • No...just go out and by the songbooks

    Votes: 15 7.3%

  • Not sure...

    Votes: 11 5.3%

  • What the heck are tabs???

    Votes: 5 2.4%
  • Total voters
    206
tc4b said:
Does anyone know of an artist that has tabs on their official website?
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Elvis Costello has all lyrics and chords - I'm sure if songs of his required tabbing, he'd have that too, but they're not really that style.

Smart man

Elvis toons
 
ggunn said:
It really depends on where you are. Here in Austin, there's no enforcement, but New Orleans (at least a few years ago), especially around the French Quarter, was pretty heavily unionized. I've heard that Las Vegas is that way as well.
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Thanks for the tip. I'll keep my eyes open for the spies...MadAudio...Just kidding ;)
 
tc4b said:
Does anyone know of an artist that has tabs on their official website?
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Bowling for Soup has bits and pieces of some of their songs tabbed out on their website. But it's a prime example of "bad tabbing" in that they left out all the good stuff (the background layering that's harder to pick up). They basically just give you the chord changes and a couple of riffs.
 
Should free speech be legal?


That said I don't use tab sites.
 
this was a big deal back in the late 90's/early this decade. anyone remember when harmony central's database was more or less shut down? it's nothin new.
 
Tabs are reverse engineering and a facsimile of the of the original, therefore, it is derivative at best.

Looking here: http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html

Tells you that the MPA has a point. However, transcriptions are an interpretation at best. So, we are best off if we stick to only placings passages and phrases from the originals on a website.

Basically, if you transcribe the verses and I transcribe the choruses, and we both place those on our sites (and cross link), we are NOT republishing the original work.

Furthermore, if you look up "Fair Use" clauses to copyright laws (http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/ccmcguid.htm), you'll notice that you MAY copy portions of protected work for educational use. Let's face it, most of us use tabs for learning purposes (so that we can teach ourselves a particular lick or technique).

So, the MPA can bully sites off the web because they'll lean on thier ISP/providers and the margins are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOo slim in Internet hosting business that most ISPs will drop the hosted site quickly.

However, between internet forum discussion boards, IRC and Usenet, there's NO FRIGGIN WAY EVER that tabs will be snuffed out.

Let's face it, most tab sites and lyric sites are crappy anyhow. I've used my best tabs at guitar learning sites or straight from the artist (who usually isn't uptight).

So, don't wave your arms about and pull a chicken-little ("the sky is falling") routine just yet.

The Internet is challenging intellectual property rights and copy protection just as pen and paper, movable type and electronic recordings have. In the end we'll be able to get what we want and "they" will be able to protect themselves to an extent.

:-)
 
Tadpui said:
I figured out Rain Song in open G (DGDGBD). Follow me into the back alley and I can show you a tab of it :D

And to whomever it was above that said screw the MPAA, what would the Motion Picture Association of America care about tabs? I'd care more about what the RIAA thinks :)
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We're talking about these folks: http://www.mpa.org/
 
ibleedburgundy said:
Should free speech be legal?


That said I don't use tab sites.
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Free Speech- yes.
Plagiarism?- that's why there are copyrights... :)
 
TheRockDoc said:
Free Speech- yes.
Plagiarism?- that's why there are copyrights... :)
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What's that got to do with this? Plagiarism is when you take someone's work and claim it as your own. I've never once seen a tab where someone claimed they wrote the song.
 
I really don't know....It's easier for me to listen to a song and figure it out than it is to try and read tab, so I don't mess with it.

As far as it being "ok" to post tab and not give the writers a royalty.......how is tab different from sheet music that has allowed pianists and singers to cover songs for centuries?
Sheet music has always been purchased, and the writers and publishing company got a cut.

A songwriter wants to milk every single dime possible out of a composition (that has become popular on a large scale) and I don't blame them.

It only seems fair that their work should be protected. Learning a song by ear is one thing, but, posting a written form of that work, without the consent and inclusion of the writers and publishers "ain't right" IMO.
 
I had many a teacher, friend, or bandmate write out an arrangement of a song for me. I've bought many a songbook or sheet music, but I've had many a song taught to me as well.
 
I guess we better start saving for our musicians licenses soon. If it continues I can't see any being able to continue playing any musical instruments without someone viewing us as potential copyright infringers.

I mean, hands up who can't play something one of thier favourite artists wrote? :p
 
amra said:
Yea, it is getting pretty freaky the way the govt is letting big business criminalize copyright infringement. Next thing, they will be arresting school teachers for making copies of handouts.
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Funny thing you should say that, I have just had a career change at 60 and now teach apprentices, to my surprise one of the things we are not supposed to do is copy from books for the students. All copying is supposed to go to a printer who does so many copies and is legally (read copyrighted) to do so. Of course it is a bloody farce as things that need to be copied are needed sooner rather than later and the amount of red tape makes it not worth the effort.
On the subject of tab, I don't like tab, I prefer notation and chord charts but have not been able to find a site that does chord charts without tab, by chord charts I mean as you would get in a cabaret band backing someone.
 
When someone takes the songbook and puts it on the net, that's not good. When someone "interprets" the song and puts it on the net and it's dead wrong, I could care less. Let people play it completely wrong!

I can't stand tabs anyway... so that's just my view.
 
darkest hour had some drunk-written tabs for the main riffs of their album scanned on their website a few years back when their last album came out
 
i think its ridiculaus

we use tabs to learn to play our guitars and we try to play our favorite band songs

dan deanly said that you cant learn to play on your own without copycating,

bethoven did it, and soo on in the past, everybody plays copycat to get good to learn to make his own creative stuff

as to what he's saying :)

this hole crap with them wanting to ban tabs is just moronic :mad:
 
Clive Hugh said:
Funny thing you should say that, I have just had a career change at 60 and now teach apprentices, to my surprise one of the things we are not supposed to do is copy from books for the students. All copying is supposed to go to a printer who does so many copies and is legally (read copyrighted) to do so. Of course it is a bloody farce as things that need to be copied are needed sooner rather than later and the amount of red tape makes it not worth the effort.
On the subject of tab, I don't like tab, I prefer notation and chord charts but have not been able to find a site that does chord charts without tab, by chord charts I mean as you would get in a cabaret band backing someone.
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See my post above where I mention "fair use" clauses - you shouldn't have to jump through too many hoops if use is legitimately traced to education.
 
There really aren't any tab books published for the stuff I wanna learn. I tend to stray away from mainstream stuff so I have to find tabs for stuff I want on tab sites. Making them illegal is just pure bullshit.
 
All tab sites should be able to post tabs that other people have transposed and submitted.
the RIAA needs to go belly up ASAP IMO!:mad:
 
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