DJ Licence?

[KevMaverick]

I've come across this recently, and to be honest, it's bad!

Many places now expect the DJ's to have a licence to play music from a laptop. If you're playing from cds or vinyl it doesn't apply.

In my opinion, the VENUE should have a licence for the music to be played, and the responsibility shouldn't be on the DJ...

What do you think?

Here's some info:

http://www.prsformusic.com/users/record ... cence.aspx

[hemskoc]

What the...
how is downloading from beatport or other online stores not legit in these peoples eyes? Did these people build stonehenge? What a total load of crap ....It does not really make any sense if you have purchased the tracks legitimately. You have paid the 'artist' and the 'label'for the track - being penalised for not owning a physical copy is ludicrous.
These places that enforce such policies should be boycotted. How is that ethical?
Cheers

[Jim B]

@Kev,

I've heard about the ProDub licence.

To be honest, in my 4 years of going digital and playing out with my setup I've never had one.

In my opinion it's just another organising out to make money!!!!!!

In my opinion, the VENUE should have a licence for the music to be played, and the responsibility shouldn't be on the DJ...

Agree 100%

[BennyB]

Copyright payment stuff is also a problem in my country.

Here the DJ and the Venue must have a license. And the two of them must apply, without having problems.

Rassia mania is here. The institution responsible to control this organise these, after anonym reports or other reasons, and they don't even punish for not having the license... they check the way of employment, and employment contracts, and the can punish you for not having stuff correctly.

Controlling which track in your storage is from Beatport and which is not from it is impossible.
Having the license is an easy solution, and helps you get gigs, and it is not that exspensive.
The DJ Federation here made a webpage for example, where they put up legal license paying DJs, where club managers can hire them, so they know, they get a fully legal DJ, and they don't have to worry about getting in trouble.

[Blackbrook]

Thanks to germany and their GEMA every country gets this sh!t now ... I hated it back in germany and thought all will be better over here ... unfortunately I have to see that things change to bad over here too regarding music licensing :-(

@JimB: Do you have to call them before a gig or do you have to send in your playlist so that they charge you what you have played (as in germany)?

[Jim B]

@JimB: Do you have to call them before a gig or do you have to send in your playlist so that they charge you what you have played (as in germany)?

I don't know mate

As I said, I've heard about the licence but never looked into it or how it works.

[KevMaverick]

Twice in the last week I've come across this, and have lost 2 bookings.

I find this whole thing a little worrying, and a little unfair. We've bought the music in the first place, and now we have to pay more?

[hemskoc]

Twice in the last week I've come across this, and have lost 2 bookings.
I find this whole thing a little worrying, and a little unfair. We've bought the music in the first place, and now we have to pay more?

I Agree with you Kev. In Canada, you are meant to have a certain licence for the DJ, and the venue, but not many adhere to it. In Australia, the venues pay per year a licencing fee (from APRA), and not the performers - The way it should be really.
Cheers

[gamierge]

Touchy subject !

[BennyB]

Guys. It is unfair. But think about the guys, who play with illegaly downloaded stuff, without paying the licence, at certain "black clubs", and there they have the advantage, to get more money.

So the thing is, that untill you have a licence, you are playing the music illegaly. Whatever the venue has the licence to organise partyes, the DJ should have a licence.
There is also a rule, that if a venue has a licence, and they are just playing music from a CD or a computer playlist (or music machine), one track after the other (without mixing them), is legal, and need no more things.
But if a DJ comes around, DJs usually mix tracks, which is not in the venue licence. Mixing two music together is only the part of the DJ licence. It sounds silly, but it is true.


But what do you pay for?:
The licence you pay for allows you, as a DJ, to have unlimited copies of every track you have, and gives you the right to play them before an audience.
You are not allowed to do this, without the licence, because it violates laws about copyrights.

And don't mess it up with buying music.

It is like buying a CD album of a band. Buying music from Beatport (or iTunes or whatever) is for just to have the music legaly.
The licence allows you to copy it however you want, and play it for people.
Beatport or iTunes have the same regulation as the stuff you read on CDs, which shortly say, that you are not allowed to play the bought stuff, for the public, and you are not allowed to publish the copies (as you would do in mixes), unless you pay the copyright stuff.

So don't mix music owning, and DJ licence which is for copyright stuff.
And one more thing: The licence also allows you, to mix the music together, which is normaly not allowed.


So WTF you should do?

Downloading copyrighted material freely (or uplaod a copy of it), in this case songs, is illegal, and if the proper authorities find out, you are fraqed.
But if you have the DJ licence, they can't get you, because, with the licence you legalise the illegaly owned music, PLUS the stuff I wrote above.

I hope it is clear for everyone now, what is the difference having a licence, and paying the music on Beatport.