MySpace Changes Music Policy

[Will Bozarth]

MySpace Changes Music Policy
posted on Jul 06 2006 07:08 pm

The following article was originally posted over at CMJ.com:

Left-wing English rocker Billy Bragg has won a small victory for the little guy, as his actions have caused Rupert Murdoch-owned MySpace to change their copyright ownership conditions. Unhappy with the previous terms that stated that MySpace had legal ownership over any form of content posted on the site (including photos, videos and music), Bragg pulled his music from the site. Seeing a potential disaster if all musicians followed suit, MySpace changed the rules to state that they no longer claimed rights over content posted on the site, but instead held temporary license to use and modify content if necessary. The non-exclusive license is mostly for digital compression and technical use and only lasts as long as you have content on your page (you can read up on it in Section 6 of the MySpace.com Terms Of Use Agreement). In other words, both basement musicians and rock stars can breath a sigh of relief, knowing that their prized tunes are safe on the site.


awesome

 

[Zack]

I didn't know that they had legal ownership before, so this is meh for me.

 

[Tiff]

MySpace Changes Music Policy
posted on Jul 06 2006 07:08 pm

The following article was originally posted over at CMJ.com:

Left-wing English rocker Billy Bragg has won a small victory for the little guy, as his actions have caused Rupert Murdoch-owned MySpace to change their copyright ownership conditions. Unhappy with the previous terms that stated that MySpace had legal ownership over any form of content posted on the site (including photos, videos and music), Bragg pulled his music from the site. Seeing a potential disaster if all musicians followed suit, MySpace changed the rules to state that they no longer claimed rights over content posted on the site, but instead held temporary license to use and modify content if necessary. The non-exclusive license is mostly for digital compression and technical use and only lasts as long as you have content on your page (you can read up on it in Section 6 of the MySpace.com Terms Of Use Agreement). In other words, both basement musicians and rock stars can breath a sigh of relief, knowing that their prized tunes are safe on the site.


awesome

There was nothing wrong with it to begin with. They just basically dumbed it down for sue-happy anal retentive lawyer wannabes.

 

[lizard]

Fuck Murdoch and his right wing totalitarianism.
first they come for the little things, and everyone says, oh well, that's not so bad...but then they take more and more.

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

Pastor Martin Niemöller

 

[Mike]

There was nothing wrong with it to begin with. They just basically dumbed it down for sue-happy anal retentive lawyer wannabes.

Nah, I think its a good thing, I wouldn't like hearing that someone else owns the rights to my music (if I posted stuff that I wrote)

 

[lizard]

especially if you started making money from it and then Murdoch claimed a share.

 

[Mike]

im pretty sure thats not why they claimed ownership, i think it has something to do with allowing MySpace to stream your music and allow people to download your content without some legal bullshit getting in the way.

 

[darcy]

Ah, cool. Wasn't a big deal for me before, my tracks were demos that I produced at the expense of only time and hard work, but I'm glad to see they've changed things around.

 

[unknown]

sounds like an excellent win to me

 

[Brett]

Nah, I think its a good thing, I wouldn't like hearing that someone else owns the rights to my music (if I posted stuff that I wrote)

Pretttttty much.

 

[darcy]

im pretty sure thats not why they claimed ownership, i think it has something to do with allowing MySpace to stream your music and allow people to download your content without some legal bullshit getting in the way.

I'd chalk it up to laziness... it should have been a licensing agreement in the first place. In practice, especially from the listener's point of view, this doesn't change anything. If MySpace had wanted to though, as the agreement was, they could have made and sold a CD with your song on it and not paid you a dime for it. I don't think they would, but stranger things have happened.