Originally Posted By: bobcflatpicker
Tangmo,

If you simply string together a chord progression and then try to rip off session musicians to put together a melody and claim it's your own, you are nothing more than a thief.

Either write a complete song and then hire session musicians to improvise around it or don't take other people's ideas and claim they're yours.

I can't believe this discussion has progressed to where it has without someone pointing that out for you. You know it's wrong or you wouldn't have asked the question.


I'll admit the first time I read that, I was pretty steamed. But I calmed down and thought about a little while. I thought to myself, 'Surely Bob could not have actually read my posts in this thread and come to the conclusion that I was intending to do any such thing. Indeed, it should have been obvious that I was trying to find out how to do the exact opposite of that. Therefor, logically, he must have some other reason for making a post that strongly appears to be an attempt to accuse, judge, and re-educate me.'

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I'm not an "OK, man...whatever" kinda hippy. I'm a sharp-tongued, clear-eyed, kick-[*****] kinda hippy. Being decent IS good business.

I want to do the "right" thing so I can sleep at night. The facts are: IF my guy composes (even on the fly) an actual melody for this piece, HE is the one who should copyright it, and I (Tangmo) am the one who should be asking for a share. I could register all day, but I cannot claim ownership on anything but the MASTER--the recording. It would be the melody HE WROTE that even IS copyright-able.

And if, all alone, it sounds like a melody (and maybe even if it doesn't) I'm going to tell HIM that.

It doesn't matter what the law "allows". If it allows me to pay for a melody and claim credit...it also allows me to do differently. I am not properly set up to do either.

It doesn't matter if he wrote a melody as a work-for-hire. In my position, I can tell the law to suck it.

If you want to help me do that with links that discuss the current realities, so I can turn a hobby into an avocation, feel free. Google has not been helpful. Everything so far is either snippets attached to a service being sold, or so old that it mentions CDBaby still acting as a CD Wharehouse. I don't expect I'll find any info that suggests I do what I want...I'll settle for info that gives me the ammo necessary to do what I want.

Last edited by Tangmo; 05/30/20 06:24 AM.
BIAB 2021 Audiophile. Windows 10 64bit. Songwriter, lyricist, composer(?) loving all styles. Some pre-BIAB music from Farfetched Tangmo Band's first CD. https://alonetone.com/tangmo/playlists/close-to-the-ground