Legal Quest or Question: You Wrote the Song. Why Not Get the Money?

Your Song Lyrics EQUAL Your Money. This is sound advice for budding new artists. Agree or Disagree.

Those aren’t the exact words that I heard the man say. But he sure did drive his point home.

Summary of the Story:

Here is what happened. One man had written a song and couldn’t remember the words to his own song. He searched for the lyrics on the Internet and found them. What else did he find? He found websites that were earning money by supplying the lyrics to the songs that he had written and he wasn’t getting a red cent! What could he do about it?

Here’s the report that tells the whole story:

Chace, Zoe. “When Lyrics Get Posted Online, Who Gets Paid? ” Planet Money ” NPR.” NPR, NPR, 9 May 2014, www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/05/09/310462951/when-lyrics-get-posted-online-who-gets-paid. “Planet Money: The Economy Explained”. Clear explanations. Now nobody can say they don’t understand the economy.

Here’s what you need to take away from the report:

“… it’s unusual for the Internet to come along and figure out a brand-new revenue stream for musicians: Rather than making money off the music, the Internet has provided a marketplace for just the words.”

What I Have Learned:

I am much wiser now. Before listening to that radio report, I had never heard of David Lowery. He’s an interesting fellow. Did you know he filed a lawsuit against Spotify? Read on. Who is David Lowery?

Additionally, I had never heard of anybody or anything called Rap Genius. As it turns out there is a site called Genius.com where you can get song lyrics and if you visit that site there is a link to a page where you can find rap lyrics/beats. Rap Genius. Who knew?

Most of the time, I can usually find the words to a song at A-Z Lyrics Universe.

At any rate, I very much appreciate the representative for Rap Genius for explaining the difference between a “desirable website” versus an “undesirable website”. It’s a fine legal line indeed! But when you’re talking about your intellectual property and your money, those fine lines can add up to KA-CHING!! $$$

If you want to know your rights and how to survive in the music business, you need to read the Music Industry Survival Guide.

What Does This Mean to Me?

Although I am not a songwriter this means a lot to me. I truly believe people should do everything in their power to protect their intellectual property and work. I was very pleased that the matter was settled expeditiously and the legal understanding was explained in such a way that everyday people like me could get it!

My point of reference for being a little bit confused about who wrote the song versus who gets the money is Michael Jackson. The late Michael Jackson bought the publishing rights to The Beatles catalog of music. Sir Paul McCartney was not happy about it. (Furious is probably a better word.) Why wouldn’t he be? Sir McCartney’s anger might be justifiable, but the purchase transaction was perfectly legal. Mr. Jackson’s response or reaction was: “It’s just business, Paul.”

Business? Legal or not, it still seems downright WRONG!

If you’re alive, you should be reaping the benefits of your “labor”. It doesn’t matter if your labor is songwriting or one of your hobbies. It’s your work. Why shouldn’t you be compensated?

That’s why the radio report meant a lot to me. It cleared up the fog in my brain.

Do you agree with my understanding and analysis?

Source: RationalMind.club