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The ‘Blurred Lines’ case scared songwriters, but its time may be up

nytimes.com

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Re: The ‘Blurred Lines’ case scared songwriters, but its time may be up

#61

Post by rock_hard »

ilamont wrote: post #49
rock_hard wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I need to tell you this: in the 2000s we worked off the strategy and tactics outlined in The Manual and had a string of global chart topping successes I can only assume others did the same...do u know the bigger story?

I would love to hear more. I've heard of at least one other band that had this kind of success, and it does not surprise me in the least. Drummond knew how the industry worked as a musician, manager, and skeptic, and in that book outlined a formula that could work. It was a bit of a piss-take but there were nuggets of wisdom and truth.

Trying to keep this account disconnected from my real life persona so won’t name names.

But we had a series of number ones around the world in countries like the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, Brasil, France, Italy, China, Australia...really every country you have ever heard of.

Of course some of the tactics had to be translated into 2000s world but I still recommend aspiring music artists to read it when they ask me for advice today.

It’s of course not the only strategy that works...but I’d say it’s the easiest to execute if what you want is commercial success

So in either case the book levels the expectations (“sex, drugs and money will always be a problem”) and establishes some fundamentals...and it’s of course a really fun weekend read.

Many of the general ideas also translate 1:1 to startups or really any kind of endeavor and have served me very well in my career

Re: The ‘Blurred Lines’ case scared songwriters, but its time may be up

#62

Post by sonicthehedgfnd »

dspillett wrote: post #35
midgetjones wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My least favourite was Quentin Tarantino demanding a songwriting credit for Fun Lovin' Criminals' Scooby Snacks, just because it sampled a few seconds of dialogue from Pulp Fiction.

Would you prefer he demanded royalties instead, as their label would if he used a few seconds of their output in one of his films? Or that they just be able to use the sample without credit or royalty?

Maybe a quick Google before going on the attack next time:

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/gangstas-of...

Re: The ‘Blurred Lines’ case scared songwriters, but its time may be up

#63

Post by slothtrop »

bobbles wrote: post #60
slothtrop wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They outright covered songs in those early albums, but refused to pay royalties. I don't remember what their argument was.

Since when do cover artists pay royalties?

There's a difference between covering a song in a recording and being a cover artist. With the latter I don't find a consistent answer. I've read venues pay a licensing fee, and that depending on prop use it could cost more, etc. If you cover a song in recording, re-arrange it, whatever, you pay royalties to the original songwriter.

Re: The ‘Blurred Lines’ case scared songwriters, but its time may be up

#64

Post by sorokod »

jgwil2 wrote: post #56
sushisource wrote: post #54

This might be one of the stupidest arguments I've ever heard: “Thin copyright might apply to a doll or a painting because, for example, there are just so many ways to paint a tomato,” Busch said. “Creative choices are limited. It has never applied to music because there are literally an infinite number of creative choices in creating a song.” ... So you're saying there aren't infinite ways to paint a tomato?

It is indeed stupid. Color and space exist on a continuum whereas musical notes and rhythms are discrete (at least within a given musical tradition), so if anything there are more creative choices in painting a tomato than in creating a song.

That there is continuum is irrelevant when the human comprehension is discreet. For example, panton colours contain less then 2k values.

Re: The ‘Blurred Lines’ case scared songwriters, but its time may be up

#65

Post by patrickthebold »

nicholassmith wrote: post #59
sushisource wrote: post #54

This might be one of the stupidest arguments I've ever heard: “Thin copyright might apply to a doll or a painting because, for example, there are just so many ways to paint a tomato,” Busch said. “Creative choices are limited. It has never applied to music because there are literally an infinite number of creative choices in creating a song.” ... So you're saying there aren't infinite ways to paint a tomato?

That's a terrible argument isn't it? There's a finite number of musical notes, a finite structure to them and a finite number of effects. We're guaranteed to end up with doppelgänger choruses and melodies sooner rather than later.

I hear what you are saying but 'finite' isn't that restrictive. There are some pretty big numbers that are still finite.

Re: The ‘Blurred Lines’ case scared songwriters, but its time may be up

#66

Post by blast »

rock_hard wrote: post #61
ilamont wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would love to hear more. I've heard of at least one other band that had this kind of success, and it does not surprise me in the least. Drummond knew how the industry worked as a musician, manager, and skeptic, and in that book outlined a formula that could work. It was a bit of a piss-take but there were nuggets of wisdom and truth.

Trying to keep this account disconnected from my real life persona so won’t name names. But we had a series of number ones around the world in countries like the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, Brasil, France, Italy, China, Australia...really every country you have ever heard of. Of course some of the tactics had to be translated into 2000s world but I still recommend aspiring music artists to read it when they ask m…

What are some of those general ideas that have served you well?

Re: The ‘Blurred Lines’ case scared songwriters, but its time may be up

#67

Post by rock_hard »

blast wrote: post #66
rock_hard wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trying to keep this account disconnected from my real life persona so won’t name names. But we had a series of number ones around the world in countries like the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, Brasil, France, Italy, China, Australia...really every country you have ever heard of. Of course some of the tactics had to be translated into 2000s world but I still recommend aspiring music artists to read it when they ask m…

What are some of those general ideas that have served you well?

It’s been a while that I read it but generally speaking:

1. How to strip things down to their essence and focus on that. 2. What to expect and not to expect from Being successful 3. Being scrappy as fuck

Just read it...it’s available for free online as pdf...it’s quick and super fun read

Re: The ‘Blurred Lines’ case scared songwriters, but its time may be up

#68

Post by alasdair_ »

rock_hard wrote: post #36
ilamont wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've told this story before. In the early 1990s I worked for Jimmy Cauty and Bill Drummond's record label, back when they were dominating the UK and European pop charts as The KLF ( https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2017/07/20/537708922/... ). One day we received in the mail a cassette tape and a letter from a law firm representing a composer or publisher (I can't remember which) of a famous Broadway soundtrack…

I need to tell you this: in the 2000s we worked off the strategy and tactics outlined in The Manual and had a string of global chart topping successes I can only assume others did the same...do u know the bigger story?

Scooter did that too. And there was "Bring Me Edelweiss" but that was a single hit.

Re: The ‘Blurred Lines’ case scared songwriters, but its time may be up

#69

Post by larkeith »

nogabebop23 wrote: post #12

All of these NYT stories bring up a blocking modal dialog requiring me to log in or create an account (I guess this is a slight improvement from making me pay). Is this the same for everyone else? Why do other sites that show a dismissable overlay get raked over the coals as if they are criminals? What value is there in posting a link on HN if it's behind a pay (or temporarily free) wall? This goes double for the WSJ…

Disable Javascript and the modal goes away. As does most tracking and other irritations. I strongly recommend doing so for most news sites.

Re: The ‘Blurred Lines’ case scared songwriters, but its time may be up

#70

Post by ilamont »

rock_hard wrote: post #61
ilamont wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would love to hear more. I've heard of at least one other band that had this kind of success, and it does not surprise me in the least. Drummond knew how the industry worked as a musician, manager, and skeptic, and in that book outlined a formula that could work. It was a bit of a piss-take but there were nuggets of wisdom and truth.

Trying to keep this account disconnected from my real life persona so won’t name names. But we had a series of number ones around the world in countries like the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, Brasil, France, Italy, China, Australia...really every country you have ever heard of. Of course some of the tactics had to be translated into 2000s world but I still recommend aspiring music artists to read it when they ask m…

I always remembered the line from the book about finding a bass line being like a "panther on the prowl" and IIRC mentioning Billie Jean or some other Michael Jackson song as an example. It really made sense.

The same section also warned against hiring some "thumb-slapping dickhead" to play bass which made sense from their perspective (The KLF never used bass players) but doesn't hold true for all types of songs, even dance music.

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