Is this legal!!!??

HI everyone! … Can anyone give me some advice on this please! I’ve got a dance teacher friend who keeps asking me to edit music tracks for dancing shows. She sends me the MP3 track and I shorten it, fade it out etc and she pays me for doing it. Now there are a couple of other dancers asking me to do the same.
So the question is … Are there any legal issues regarding editing tracks and getting paid for it? … as in copyright and stuff like that?
I know its very highly unlikely anyones going to come knocking on my door asking questions but just out of curiosity, where do I stand?
Any thoughts really appreciated!!

What country are you in? The laws vary depending where you work/live.

Are these dancers using the edited material for public performances?

Lots more info needed from you to give a solid answer.

Just look at what ‘‘Thicke’’ and that guy that sang ‘‘stay with me’’ are getting away with…and stop worrying… :slight_smile:

Sorry! … I’m in the UK… :smiley:
She uses some of the tracks in a college for exam performances but she does use others in dance shows in theatres with a paying audience. If she has bought the track and sent it to me, could there be any issues with me re-using the track for someone else … or am I just thinking into this too much and we all have better things to think about!!!
… but if you have any further thoughts … I’d appreciate it!!
Many thanks!
John

I think that if she provides you with the material and you are just editing it, then the onus is on her to ensure that she has the appropriate licensing for her use. You are merely editing material provided to you. You have no control over what she does with it afterwards.
There may not be any problem with her using it for educational purposes, but if she is selling tickets to a show, then it’s crossing over into public performance.

If, however, you have people not providing you with the source material and you are giving them tracks using your own material, then you are technically breaching copyright, unless you have licensed the material or they are royalty free.

Thanks Richlum … Just don’t want to fall foul of anything! … :slight_smile:

My invoices for this type of work read
“Edit customer supplied music”

Totally agree. There are performance rights groups which collect royalties to pay out to the registered holder of the material when there are public performances. In Canada, its SOCAN, I found this on for the UK, there may be more… PRS for Music: royalties, music copyright and licensing . Ethically, you may want to mention this to your “clients” and place that onus on their minds . If they get something in writing from the copyright holder allowing the use, that is different.

Even if the big famous guys seem to get away with these things, ethics are ethics, its wrong not to credit the original peformers/copyright holders. :nerd: