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Do you know your collaboration rights?

17 May, 2007 - 05:23 — The Sole

Collaborations! Yes I am the biggest collaborationist on the site. You could even say I really got the movement going on maketunes. But what are your rights? If I sing to your song, does it become mine too? Yes it does. By all rights, I get a equal slate of rights to your track that you created. I have found a lot of information involving this subject matter and would like to share some of what I found.

http://www.openmusicfactory.com/index.php?option=articles&task=viewartic...
The above link tells you how it is.

There are alot of different rules about the rights of individuals. But the bottom line is this. If you don't specify beforehand the rights I am entitled to or that you will give me, then when the collaboration is done, the song is half mine. Not the instrumental onyl version, but my vocalized version only. If the song makes it bigtime, then the artist and myself make it bigtime and that includes 50 percent of any monies accumulated as a result of the collaboration. Got concerns or questions? Look it up. I am only the messenger. When I first started collaborations it was because I didn't know how to make professional music. I was making music with my keyboard only. This was a way for me to have and hear my voice with professional music. I no longer need this. I no longer need to collaborate. In fact, if I was asked to stop collaboarting then I could stop at a moments notice, as I have plenty of my own projects that I am working on. However, I am going to keep on collaborating(that is unless musicians read this and think that I am trying to steal their songs) as it is a way for the musician to have something that really stands out. My voice is not normal sounding and usually a collaboration evolves a instrumental song and is better then the instrumental version by itself. Besides, I like to think that someday I will make it. Upon making it bigtime, that collab I did with you way back when will be worth some money. I will give half of the money toward the original artist. This is where I stand, and this forum helps you figure out where you stand. Let's talk about it.

‹ Hiphop beats i need acapella (tukan - light a rainbow) ›

17 May, 2007 - 06:26 — EaZiE
EaZiE's picture

at da end of da day dat sounds fair enuff m8. thanks for da info il bare it in mind. n wen u make it remember me, same goes for me =p

17 May, 2007 - 07:00 — The Sole
The Sole's picture

fo-sure bro! Besides, I plan on being a famous musician. So our little collabs will be nest eggs for maketunes.com users. I don't collaborate with anyone else. So we are only starting our 401 K plans!

17 May, 2007 - 21:57 — illusivemind
illusivemind's picture

Nice one Sole,

http://creativecommons.org/

^this is the best way to collaborate.
________________
-just a thought-

18 May, 2007 - 04:53 — Amittai
Amittai's picture

There may be some exceptions, Sole (grey areas of the law that would ultimately be resolved in court...). I believe that he/she who has the song on file at the Library of Congress would win the rights to it in a court room setting. If ever a conflict arrises that cannot be settled otherwise, then the court determines it. The court is going to ask if you registered the work with the Library of Congress in DC.
On the other hand, your work is legally considered copywritten to you the second that you start creating the particular peice (even if you don't register it at the Library of Congress). This is an unregistered form of copyright, but is still recognized legally (but can be hard to prove when someone else registered the work with the Library of Congress in DC). If anyone is concerned about their colaborated work's ownership rights, a written and signed and dated agreement between the two artists will settle any future conflicts the same way a prenuptial agreement works.

Just thought I'd add to your post, Sole. Good topic of importance!

18 May, 2007 - 06:39 — The Sole
The Sole's picture

I agree, and felt it needed to be discussed among those of us who do collaborate. I think everyone here though, would try to help eachother make it if we, ourselves, made it. Good spirit!

18 May, 2007 - 06:42 — EaZiE
EaZiE's picture

tbh if i collaborate with any1 its ive met them through here any by listening to the communities music i only collaborate wiv members i have come to respect like sole and pitbull. i fink theres a mutual understanding between certain artists that means we wudnt rip each other off and dues will be paid. thats how i am. thats how it should be =D

18 May, 2007 - 12:16 — illusivemind
illusivemind's picture

So here's how cerative commons works:
http://www.maketunes.com/forums/creative-commons-collaboration

________________
-just a thought-

18 May, 2007 - 12:20 — The Sole
The Sole's picture

Yeah, I have actually been reading up on it.

18 May, 2007 - 12:36 — illusivemind
illusivemind's picture

Yeah, they try explain it really clearly.

eg.
http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/how1

________________
-just a thought-

18 May, 2007 - 12:45 — illusivemind
illusivemind's picture

The videos are great too:
http://support.creativecommons.org/videos

________________
-just a thought-

12 October, 2007 - 03:07 — Yaun Lee
Yaun Lee's picture

Hmm, there may be a few problems in that. It all depends on how the deal is set up and who agrees to what. Who's picking up the tab for vocal studio and production time? Who does the publishing/owns the rights and who pays the lawyers to cover that. Has the vocalist been payed to just sing or are there royalties involved. If i payed for just about everything and someone lays vocals over my production theres is no way they are getting half. It all depends on working things out before u go to lay tracks..

12 October, 2007 - 03:13 — illusivemind
illusivemind's picture

You're quite right Yaun.

If you haven't indicated anything other than full copyright which by default all creations have as soon as they are created, then any divvying up of royalties and what not will have to be decided by the participating parties.
________________
-just a thought-

12 October, 2007 - 16:24 — Amittai
Amittai's picture

Yeah... I was reading my earlier comment here, and I'm not sure if it was right now... Sole is right about his initial posting here, that if you don't have a written agreement signed by all parties involved before the colaboration work starts, then when you finish it is considered a "joint authorship". Joint Authorship defaults to 50%-50% by law. Even if you did all the work makin the beat in your own studio with equipment you payed for and someone else came in and simply tracked the vocals to that beat; the completed track (music and vocals together) is now considered a single peice of work, no longer separated as music and vocals. If you do a contract prior to a colab, you can set appropriate percentages, and even opt to retain rights to the specific parts you've written (vocals only, beat only, some of each...). You can pretty much specify anything you want in it, but the colaborators have to agree on it and sign, of course.

12 October, 2007 - 16:30 — Amittai
Amittai's picture

I'm taking a music business class right now, "Survey of the Music Industry"... That's why I know this, we just went over colaborations this week.

We're going over publishing/publishers and copyright right now too... Any questions on the subject, please ask me!!! It'll help me learn it better and get an "A" in what I think will be the most important class I take!

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