Author Topic: Music Industry grasping for straws again...Guitar Tabs (Read 531 times)

RightF00T · « **on:** August 13, 2006, 05:23:16 PM »

I visit a guitar tab site regularly, and apparently an association similar to the RIAA is threatening legal action for putting up guitar tabs to artist's songs....where does the insanity stop?

Quote

To all "Guitar Tab Universe" visitors:

The company which owns this website has been indirectly threatened (via our ISP) with legal action by the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) as well as the Music Publishers' Association (MPA) on the basis that sharing tablature constitutes copyright infringement. At what point does describing how one plays a song on guitar become an issue of copyright infringment? This website, among other things, helps users teach eachother how they play guitar parts for many different songs. This is the way music teachers have behaved since the first music was ever created. The difference here is that the information is shared by way of a new technology: the Internet.

When you are jamming with a friend and you show him/her the chords for a song you heard on the radio, is that copyright infringement? What about if you helped him/her remember the chord progression or riff by writing it down on, say, a napkin... infringement? If he/she calls you later that night on the phone or e-mails you and you respond via one of those methods, are you infringing? I don't know... but I would really like to know. If anyone has information on this, please email support@guitartabs.cc.

Apparently, the NMPA/MPA believes that the Internet may be on the foul side of the legality line they would like to draw here. For me, I see no difference. It's teachers educating students and covered as a 'fair use' of the tablature. The teachers here don't even get paid nor do the students have to pay this website to access the lessons.

An attack on this website is really an attack on every one of you who have told someone (in person, or via the written word, telephone, or e-mail) how you play a song on guitar. And who, especially among small websites, has the deep pockets to fight the NMPA/MPA? They use scare tactics while there is, in fact, no legal precedent on this matter (to the best of our knowledge). If you are interested in expressing your opinion to the NMPA/MPA, contact them via their respective websites. Please do not resort to vulgar language or insults.

Millions of people use the Internet to learn guitar, in one form or another. It appears the NMPA/MPA and their members do not want to support us and help us further our education. To you visitors from outside the USA or UK, can you find your favorite artists' "official sheet music" at your local music store? Even in the United States and United Kingdom, we often can not. The NMPA/MPA have a choice to make: either they support us as aspiring guitarists, or they choose to alienate their customer base. To date, not one sheet music publisher has contacted this website to either inquire as to our activities or to express interest in any type of dialogue or collaboration whatsoever. All we deserve is a cold, indirect, impersonal threat without any explanation? They should embrace new technologies or else become relics of the old economy.

Since I'm now 'worried' about working around tabs at all, I'm in a tough situation! Luckily, I'm fairly confident that if I alone listen to a song and then figure out how to play it by ear, I will then be able to enjoy using that knowledge to practice and improve my guitar playing skills. Is that what is necessary for everyone to do? Work these things out alone? What a sad situation.

Sincerely,
Rob Balch

Manager of "Guitar Tab Universe"

DiabloTX · « **Reply #1 on:** August 13, 2006, 05:36:11 PM »

Yeah, I used a tab site for years. When I tried to log into it about 8 months ago it wasn't online anymore.

But something good has come of it.

It forced me to quit being lazy. Now I do my guitar practicing the old fashioned way, I sit down and work through the song by ear. Can't believe what a difference that alone has made.

But I sure do miss the Steve Howe tabs...jebus that man can play.

B17Skull12 · « **Reply #2 on:** August 13, 2006, 05:39:27 PM »

music industry is as bad as the insurance industry.

BluKitty · « **Reply #3 on:** August 13, 2006, 05:48:18 PM »

Educational resources should always be able to copy freely and be free..... I wonder if this guitar Tab site was makeing money off these tab's though.

Makeing money off it is where many draw the line, If your makeing money off it you can afford the licences, would be the reasoning....

Just playing the devils advocate here.... I love free sheet muisc and Tab sites myself.

But you do have to at least understand the oppisite POV I think.

http://www.sheetmusicarchive.net/ this is a site I like, but it's also only useing music from long dead composer's.

It does seem kind of wrong whena corporation is pushing such 'rights', and not the writer of the peice.

DiabloTX · « **Reply #4 on:** August 13, 2006, 06:16:20 PM »

The site I used only had single riffs or licks, not entire songs. They were not professionally done in any way. The author of the tabs would even state that the tabs were for "study" and "musical education" but apparently even that gets you blacklisted by the NMPA.

B17Skull12 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 13, 2006, 07:48:24 PM »

that site was completely free. I would know because i used it a ton. It pisses me off that the music industry is so retarted.

lukster · « **Reply #6 on:** August 13, 2006, 08:16:47 PM »

This one's not bad: http://www.chordie.com/

Sandman · « **Reply #7 on:** August 14, 2006, 12:14:14 AM »

What the hell does "indirectly threatened" mean?

BlkKnit · « **Reply #8 on:** August 14, 2006, 07:10:50 AM »

hehe....Cover bands better watch out!

68Hawk · « **Reply #9 on:** August 14, 2006, 07:15:07 AM »

7- Members should remember this board is aimed at a general audience. Posting pornographic or generally offensive text, images, links, etc. will not be tolerated. This includes attempts to bypass the profanity filter.

RightF00T · « **Reply #10 on:** August 14, 2006, 11:10:18 AM »

I'm glad you got that one out.

lukster · « **Reply #11 on:** August 14, 2006, 11:14:28 AM »

Supply and demand. If you want cheap CDs and DVDs you might try Russia. Of course most of their market is comprised of cheap pirated US product.

Mustaine · « **Reply #12 on:** August 14, 2006, 11:16:04 AM »

yeah thats pretty crap.

1/2 that stuff is not close to professionally transcribed. notes missing, wrong, so on. it does give someone an idea about the structure of a song, but thats about it.

it's sick what the music industry is doing.

Nifty · « **Reply #13 on:** August 14, 2006, 11:17:16 AM »

Try this site. Not sure if you'll find the tabs good or not, but it helps me as someone who is just learning how to play a few things.

Ultimate Guitar

SunKing · « **Reply #14 on:** August 14, 2006, 11:17:18 AM »

Let me enlighten you all.

Forget those half-arse noob made tabs and banner sites.

Here' the only quality site left after the crack down.

Use this link to get the editor/player.

http://www.power-tab.net/

And then use this link to get the quality tabs.

http://www.powertabs.net/search.php

You'll need to make a login account due to the crackdown.

Most of the tabs are copied right out of books and magazines so they are orginals from correct tabs and songbooks.

Another great site was

http://www.mysongbook.com but it has since removed all their tabs.