Legal Issues with Acapellas/Remixing

M

MusicAboveNoise

New member
Hey, Im an upcoming Music Producer, I am a massive fan of dubstep however house music is also insane ;)

Anyway....... Ive got a question, as Im not to clear on the whole remixing process. So basically, Can you publish a remix you've made using an acapella, does it have to be free? I heard unless you have permission from the original owner, It cant be sold for profit. Dubstep seems to be a hot-spot for remixes, and when I search through youtube, I have found a lot of producers who have remixed songs, have ALL of them asked permission to upload the remix???? I guess thats what i need answering the most. Ive seen people get really big with remixes, and Im sure before that they werent massive, so how did they contact the original owner?? Its all a bit confusing for me :$ Im 13, not saying that should matter...... but as you can imagine im not much of a lawyer ; ) Thanks for any help you could give as It could really give me another thing to try out In my productions :) Peace!!!

- Jake
 
I'm pretty sure you have to get in contact with the person who's voice it is... Maybe google this question too.. it can't hurt..
 
If you're trying to sell it, you need permission. Otherwise it should be straight to do without getting in trouble
 
Ok cheers, I wasn't thinking of selling anything just yet anyway, as its probably better to get some fans before making a profit I imagine?? Anyway thank you :)
 
Hey guys! Sorry to UP old topic, but i think my questions is the most suitable here.


So this is the case.
I want to use acapella of Craig David song, but it’s actually female acapella of one of the many covers of it. I want to put it out for free.
I want to use full acapella, not just single words, samples etc. I couldn’t find the singer / owner of the record, but i don’t think there will be a trouble from that side since there are dozens of similar covers.
But legally i still have to pay a royalty from every play of my remix to publishers of Craig David who pay directly to him (technically).


Hot to better name it? Craig David (My Remix) or (My Bootleg) or create a completely new name for a song and try to hide?
Should i try to get legal approve from publishers or it’s better not to show my name and try to hide inside the internet? Let’s say this remix will get 100k listens. Will anybody care?
Should i allow download of it? If i only allow streaming on soundcloud can it soften the possible lawsuit?
Should i pay to Limelight and similar companies for song clearance or it’s a waste?




Are there any cases of lawsuits vs free remix?


Thanks guys!
 
Using anyone's copyrighted vocals, arrangements or sounds is technically illegal, there's no two ways about it, regardless of whether it's sold or not. That said, many people do it as most cases aren't chased up (it's often not worth it for the original song owner).

If you want to do things 100% by the book and don't want to risk a law suit, get permission from the owner and abide by the terms they set. You could always 'risk it' as many people do, but it's not technically allowed. Have a look on my website Music Industry How To and search 'copyright' for a few full guides on the subject.
 
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How long has to be the part of the vocal I'm using? I mean, if I just take a shot from a popular song's acapella and I'm going to sell tha track, I have to pay the rights in any case?

thanks!
 
if it can be identified then you have to secure a license to use it
- this does not mean that you can sample and distort it beyond "recognition" - someone will be able to replicate what you did and demonstrate sufficiently that the original sample came from the source you took it from
- fair use doctrine is not applicable here, as it is meant only for scholarly review and critique, not reuse
 
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