Music Publishers Now Suing Lyrics Sites And Their Execs | Techdirt
Music Publishers Now Suing Lyrics Sites And Their Execs | Techdirt. I was wondering if and when this was going t happen. My feelings are mixed. Songwriters should be compensated, and this is another way for their work to be copied, and pirated. These lyric sites *are* making money on the backs of songwriters, and the material is part of a copyright.
However, I think this is just another desperate attempt on the part of publishers to recover from the deterioration of their revenues. And how productive will this really be? It’ll be another public relations disaster, and fans will be even more resentful.
Being a songwriter, I’m heartbroken that technology has made it so easy for folks to use this hard work without any compensation to the creators; but as mentioned in this article, this is an ideal way for a fan to get to know the artist and writer. This could result in sales down the road. I wish there was an easy answer. And above all I wish that the songwriters could have their livelihoods preserved.
There’s a solution somewhere, right?
Seems fair that lyric sites that are making money should have to pay some kind of fee to the PRO’s to compensate the writers and publishers for use of the copyrighted material. I get even more ticked off about the sites that put the lyrics up, and then don’t even credit the writer(s), or worse yet when they incorrectly credit the artist with being the writer.
Remember back in the day when people actually bought songbooks and sheet music?? No need anymore. Just print the lyric and go to youtube for a free tutorial on how to play the music! The technology is amazing. It’s a great world we live in. But, I don’t blame the publishers for going after their fair share from people who are making a living with websites that use copyrighted material without permission or payment. Heck, the bar I’ve been playing gigs at said that BMI and SESAC have been after them to pay 3000 a year for having live music one night a week. If they have to pay, then it stands to reason that these websites who are making money should have to pay also. It’s a shame that they have to sue and get the bad publicity to come to an agreement, but that’s just the way of the world these days.