Home » Audio » Movies & Music » Buying Music You Outright Own
Buying Music You Outright Own [message #85688] Sun, 23 July 2017 19:27 Go to next message
Lost the Remote is currently offline  Lost the Remote
Messages: 145
Registered: June 2017
Master
Where can you purchase digital music that isn't just licensed to you, but becomes something you own outright. You can give away to someone else, will it to your heirs, sell it, trade it, all those things. Does something like that exist anymore?
Re: Buying Music You Outright Own [message #85693 is a reply to message #85688] Sun, 23 July 2017 22:36 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Amber is currently offline  Amber
Messages: 40
Registered: April 2017
Location: Louisiana, US
Baron
Interesting. I know that there is probably a site out there that exists, but I don't know of any personally. Hopefully someone else knows of a site.

-Amber
Re: Buying Music You Outright Own [message #85719 is a reply to message #85693] Tue, 25 July 2017 09:56 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18670
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

If you are looking to own the rights to a song so you can license it to be recorded by musicians, then you'll need to talk to an agent. There's a lot more to it than just "buying the song." On the other hand, if you know a musician that you are impressed with, you can probably work directly with them and pay them to write songs for you. You'll then need to register the copyright for the material.

Please understand that the way copyright works is the author is the owner whether registered or not unless the work is done "for hire." In that case, the person that paid for the work is the owner. And in either case, you really want to register the work if you're serious about it. The law says you don't have to register a work to be the owner of it, but proof is an issue if you don't. And you cannot collect damages if a work isn't registered, so you have little power in policing your intellectual property without registration.

On the other hand, I think you may be just talking about "owning" a copy of a song. That's actually just a license, but it can be bought and sold just like it were tangible property. When you buy a record, tape, CD or even a digital package without media, you have purchased a transferable license to that copy. It has limits, in that you cannot use it for commercial purpose. But you can play it, copy it, archive it and store it in any way you want. You just can't profit from it, or make it available to others in a public venue. If that's what you want, then you'll need to talk to a licensing agency like ASCAP or BMI.

Re: Buying Music You Outright Own [message #85804 is a reply to message #85719] Sun, 06 August 2017 08:55 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Lost the Remote is currently offline  Lost the Remote
Messages: 145
Registered: June 2017
Master
Wayne, does that mean it's now impossible to own the item the same way it was up until the digital revolution took over? Even in the 90's the buyer owned the CD. That person could list it on ebay if they wanted, let a friend borrow it, or most anything else. Warner Brothers weren't going to come along in a few years and snatch it back because they switched platforms or determined the model wasn't lucrative enough.
Re: Buying Music You Outright Own [message #85811 is a reply to message #85804] Sun, 06 August 2017 11:39 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18670
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

No, nothing has changed since recordings have started being made digitally. The ownership of copyrighted material is still held by the author, or if paid for, by the employer.

When you are sold a copy of a recorded work, what you are actually being sold is the media and packaging and the permission to make lawful personal use of the material. If there is no media - like a digital download - then you are only being sold the permission for use. You can store it, play it or make archival copies of it, but only for your personal use.

Your "ownership" is sort of like a one-seat transferable license, so that means you can sell it or give it away if you want. But if you buy one copy, you can only sell or give away one copy. And when you do, you can't retain a copy.

Re: Buying Music You Outright Own [message #85816 is a reply to message #85811] Sun, 06 August 2017 22:03 Go to previous message
Lost the Remote is currently offline  Lost the Remote
Messages: 145
Registered: June 2017
Master
I don't think you can even buy or sell it, even if you really aren't keeping a copy and faking the whole thing. I really wish it were different. I'm running out of the number of times I can authorize my itunes account. Each new laptop or other device takes one away.

Thanks for the explanation Wayne! You took difficult information and made it simple to understand. I don't like the outcome, but the reasoning does make sense. Razz
Previous Topic: Leaning towards documentaries
Next Topic: Classic Singers
Goto Forum:
  


Current Time: Thu Mar 28 13:08:24 CDT 2024

Sponsoring Organizations

DIY Audio Projects
DIY Audio Projects
OddWatt Audio
OddWatt Audio
Pi Speakers
Pi Speakers
Prosound Shootout
Prosound Shootout
Smith & Larson Audio
Smith & Larson Audio
Tubes For Amps
TubesForAmps.com

Lone Star Audiofest