DJ gets ARRESTED for playing MASH UPS/BLENDS/ETC!!
SouthCrackalack
3,853 Posts
I guess that this has already been posted, but in case not.....>>>>>>>Portland, OR - At 2:30 this morning, local DJ "World Famous Audio Hacker" was taken into custody by police after a performance at The Glitch Lounge, an underground dance club in the warehouse district downtown. Although specific charges have not yet been publicly made, one officer confirmed the DJ was taken into custody for performing unlicensed bootleg remixes, known as "mash-ups", at the venue."Currently, the U.S. performance license that permits DJs and night clubs to play copywritten songs," explained the unnamed officer, "is a strict license that does not allow home-made alterations under the same license. Once the illegal versions of the music are performed in public, it becomes a crime that can be enforced by an officer."When pressed to confirm if any complaints had been filed against World Famous Audio Hacker, the officer simply stated: "We were made aware of the nature of material that this DJ typically performs based on a complaint by one of the copyright owners. Once the illegal art in question was performed during the night, our officers were empowered to take him into custody."In other words, it appears there was a specific complaint against a well-known mash-up by World Famous. The officers were present during the performance, and apparently were issued a warrant for arrest as soon as the mash-up in question was played at World Famous' Sunday night performance.Some speculation has been made by fans that Warner Music may have filed the complaint due to a history of conflict between the label and World Famous.We are still working the details to confirm this story.There has been no word if the Glitch Lounge will lose their performance license in relation to this arrest. More to be found at http://www.audiohacker.com 
Comments
I hope you are kidding. On the spot live blends/remixes at a party or club(when done right at the right time,etc) can make a crowd LOSE THEIR SHIT! You most be bullshitting us.
everyone understands that dude wasn't really arrested, right? That this is a "publicity stunt"?
I also know a DJ here in NY who was given a $500 ticket for "operating musical equipment without a license" (that's worded incorrectly but it was something like that and it did happen.
nah I didnt thoroughly read it to be honest...so it was bullshit just to hype the DJ up or something?
Haha, yeah i'm partially kidding, good blends sound real nice, but 90% of the time it sounds corny to me especially hipster/student shit where they try and be real cute and blend a Lil Wayne acapella with something off the Top Gun soundtrack to be all ironic...
I do like some of The Rub's stuff though...
And a lame one at that.
but i'm talking more like tradional hiphop blends and shit...it doesnt ONLY have to be bullshit ironic 80s mixed with current dirty south rap. That said..I mos def. FUCKS with the Rub and have put many people onto them and personally am responsible for helping gain them a few new fans that would have NEVER heard of them without my recommendation (even though I pissed ol' Ayers off! sorry about that, dude..i guess I was PMSing that day)
I think the "stunt" is that there were no officers. There was no arrest.
No arrests, but lawsuits:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...&sn=001&sc=1000
"Under copyright law, Courtright can be held liable for the copyright infringements at his club because he never purchased a license from ASCAP.
Yet Courtright and Regi Harvey, a drummer and guitarist who was on stage on the night in question, vehemently deny that any such infringement took place. In fact, copies of the lawsuits and supporting documentation reveal two very different versions of what was played that night.
Harvey said the three songs in question -- "Shop Around,' 'Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing' and 'Where Is the Love?' -- are not even in his band's repertoire.
'We play original jazz and jazz rock,' said Harvey. 'We don't even like those songs.'"
Yes, they pay royalties. In Europe, they actually do it more directly. In the U.S. it's a pretty shakey system. Basically, clubs where music is performed pay a flat fee to ASCAP and BMI. That's for the performance royalty on, hypothetically, all the songs performed there. It's essentially pro-rated amongst all the songwriters some how. It's a poor system that essentially screws the little guy, but it is the system by which performance royalties are paid. Basically, performance royalties are paid on all the songs, regardless whether they are a cover or not. If the Rolling Stones perform a Bob Dylan tune, Dylan gets paid by the venue. If they play a Jagger/Richards tune, Jagger/Richards get paid by the venue.
Technically, it's legal to play mash-ups in clubs or on radio. That's why radio deejays used to make those ridiculous cut-in records, like "Superfly Meets Shaft." Because the performance royalty is hypothetically being paid to both songwriters. Think of it this way: it's legal to play Tiny Tim in a club. It's legal to play Scissor Sisters in a club. Why would it be illegal to play them both at once?
I'm not sure where to go with either of these, but Lenny Bruce would have material for about 5 or 6 solid jokes here.
But It's pretty much the same over here. The system is very shakey and the GEMA ( German BIM/ASCAP) live great off it. When I look what I have to pay for them as a label for mechanicals and what my artists get it's a joke.
He's been accused of "copyright terrorism"...
Extremely
Yeah, by himself. Don't believe the hype.