https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:25:36 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/4/#post-194731 Tue, 22 Aug 2006 04:59:14 +0000 Opinions and Polls Misanthrope https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/4/#post-194731 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/4/#post-194728 Tue, 22 Aug 2006 04:37:59 +0000
For example, take a classic song like "Take the A Train," first recorded by Duke Ellington.

That song has countless recordings. The publisher of the song gets a cut for every one, because they own the song. But the different labels own the individual recordings of the song. So if Snoop Dogg wanted to use the horn break from, say, a Miles Davis recording of "A Train," then they have to pay Columbia Records a licensing fee. Or, he does a sound-alike to get around that little snag.

Now, take a song by Green Day. The publisher owns the lyrics and the melody that the singer sings. They don't own the chord changes, the riffs, the guitar solo, etc. In fact, the label doesn't own those things either -- they only own their *recording* of those things.

So, if the TAB doesn't include anything that the publisher actually owns, how can they claim infringement?

RichardM]]> Opinions and Polls richardmid https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/4/#post-194728 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/4/#post-194723 Tue, 22 Aug 2006 04:22:18 +0000 Opinions and Polls Misanthrope https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/4/#post-194723 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/4/#post-194720 Tue, 22 Aug 2006 04:12:26 +0000
I've been a songwriter and professional musician for 25 years. As I understand music copyright for popular music, there are two main areas of copyright protection:

1. The "song" -- the lyrics and the melody. This copyright is owned by the publisher.

In this area of copyright, the chords and rhythms are not protected. Many songs can have the exact same chord changes, and even the same grooves and riffs. And, one could argue, any guitar solo that's made of recycled blues/rock riffs and licks would likewise not be protected, simply because those licks are in the public domain, and appear in so many other songs by other artists.

2. The "recording" -- the actual sounds captured on the CD (or whatever). This copyright is owned by the label.

In order to use the recording (for a commercial, for a sample in a rap song, etc.), you have to license it from the owner (the record label). But if you re-record an *exact copy* of the original, then you don't owe the label a dime. You *would* owe the publisher something, because they own the song itself.


Notice that it's not the labels (who own the sounds) who are cracking down on TAB, it's the publishers, who own the *compositions* (the lyrics and the melodies).

But most TAB doesn't contain the lyrics or melodies of songs. The "composition" isn't there. So, what grounds do publishers have to claim any copyright infringement? The chord changes aren't protected. The riffs aren't protected. The solos are anything but "original."

In my opinion, TAB does not infringe the publishers' copyright at all. "Fair use" and all that are beside the point. TAB *rarely* includes the lyrics or melody of a song, which is all the publishers really own in the first place.

RichardM]]> Opinions and Polls richardmid https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/4/#post-194720 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/4/#post-194028 Fri, 18 Aug 2006 04:37:56 +0000
moving on to five years ago : while a friend's home, i hear the same song intro being played by his 8 year old son. That's when i was introduced to TAB. it was all i needed. GAS has lightened my wallet by more that $ 7000 CDN, i play for myself at home, and i have no intent to go on the road again. somewhere in all this is the point that, because TAB is so universallt easy to learn, it generates enormous revenues for guitar makers, amp manufacturers and other assorted suppliers. i wonder what their opinion of this legal action would be ? "Do I sell 10,000 high-wattage rigs each year to pros, and lose the sale of 400,000 units of those cute 30-watters to all those eight-year-olds ?"

bah. humbug.


** plays intro to "Communcation Breakdown" and curses specific legal beagals**]]> Opinions and Polls cramp hand https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/4/#post-194028 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/4/#post-190545 Mon, 24 Jul 2006 07:28:49 +0000
ITunes broke the dollar barrier, and became hugely successful. I'm not exactly sure how they broke into the market and snapped the monopoly structure (but I think I'm gonna look into it!)

Recently I read Richard Branson's autobiography. He talks about opening a mail order record company, and having to go to retail when there was a postal strike. But he was discounting - so the labels all refused to sell to Virgin. He ended up striking a deal with a small shop, adding his orders on to theirs, and paying a 5% commission.

After a couple years went by, he was up to something like 14 stores, and the labels and distributors still wouldn't sell to him. He ended up having to take them to see the scene at the small shop: rows of trucks delivering cases of records in the front door... Virgin employees doing a bucket brigade thing to take them out the back door... and loading them into rows of trucks for delivery to his stores.

When intellecual property is all you've got, you'll price it as high as possible and defend the high ground. But I think there's a huge opportunity out there for some entrepreneur to create a delivery system for sheet music that accurately reflects the cost of digital distribution - probably 20-30% of what it is now.]]> Opinions and Polls NoteBoat https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/4/#post-190545 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/4/#post-190532 Mon, 24 Jul 2006 05:36:39 +0000 Opinions and Polls pearlthekat https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/4/#post-190532 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/3/#post-190514 Mon, 24 Jul 2006 02:56:25 +0000 Opinions and Polls Misanthrope https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/3/#post-190514 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/3/#post-190510 Mon, 24 Jul 2006 02:48:54 +0000
I wouldn't mind paying a small fee like $0.50 per tab for a song I really wanted. The artist and publisher would make their money, everybody would be happy. It's better than paying $20 for a book of tab for one single song.]]> Opinions and Polls Wes Inman https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/3/#post-190510 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/3/#post-190404 Sun, 23 Jul 2006 05:31:54 +0000 Opinions and Polls Uno Pulgar https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/another-tab-site-threatened/paged/3/#post-190404