Jason Robert Brown Battles Music Copyright Infringment — Page 3

Plus I have to agree with the question of how getting the music from the library is any different from downloading a digital copy

Because if you're borrowing something from a library, you have it temporarily, legally. If you download something, you're keeping it, illegally.

^ YES. I was thinking that when I was reading it...like, wouldn't it be much more productive to just email the webmaster or something?

My first thought when she said "THE Jason Robert Brown" was of Everyday Rapture, hahaha...and apparently Eamon Foley thought the same as he tweeted about it after JRB posted the blog.

Anyway I think he's totally in the right here...which isn't to say I haven't illegally photocopied music or downloaded without paying from the internet or done other not-so-legal things but that girl's sense of entitlement was unbelievable.

I was wondering when the next Broadway melt down would happen but I never thought it would be so soon!

Keep 'em comin'!!!

Who's next?? I hope it's Montego.

^ One may "need" a conductors score if the song they're hoping to audition with is not available commercially or hasn't been officially published and therefore only available by obtaining a copy of the conductors score. The majority of shows do not offer up every song in the vocal selection books leaving a number of songs unavaialble to the general public for pretty much every show.

Updated On: 7/1/10 at 02:32 AM

One may "need" a conductors score if the song they're hoping to audition with is not available commercially or hasn't been officially published and therefore only available by obtaining a copy of the conductors score. The majority of shows do not offer up every song in the vocal selection books leaving a number of songs unavaialble to the general public for pretty much every show.

True. But this is JRB we're talking about, where every single show he's written has a piano/vocal selection available, there's also the JRB Collection with a few extra songs, he puts bits of sheet music on his website like the I Could Never Rescue You opening to Still Hurting etc etc... there's really not a huge amount missing from his repertoire. Unless you have a craving to audition with Fiddlin' John's sections from The Trial in PARADE or something...

I know it's difficult to find audition songs that haven't been done a million times before because they're what's available. But in that case you're not going to be trying to sing JRB at an audition, given that accompanists don't like playing him and EVERYONE wants to sing those songs.

"One may "need" a conductors score if the song they're hoping to audition with is not available commercially or hasn't been officially published and therefore only available by obtaining a copy of the conductors score."

OK, see? No. You NEED food, water, air and shelter. You do not NEED one specific song out in the ether.

I'm not saying the people who do this are terrible people. Lord knows many of them give tons of money to theatrical ventures all the time. HOWEVER, there is a side of this coin that far too many don't give consideration, and that's not fair. There also seems to be a rather large group who have decided that since so much music is so easily obtainable now, that they are entitled to it regardless of the composer's wishes. I personally think that opinion is rude, selfish and ridiculous.

Oh you're totally right, except that he's wrong in suggesting she get it from the library.

Because checking something out of a library doesn't give you the right to use it for performance.

nm

Updated On: 7/1/10 at 09:22 AM

Big Question: How do you all feel about used book stores? Isn't that the same situation? One person has purchased a book, then it can get re-sold over and over and over, without a cent going to the author or publisher, right? How about garage sales?

Responding to some comments above: any musician worth a hoot knows that conductor scores and vocal selections differ in the same was as as novels and Readers Digest.

Musicians like to read scores like others like to read books. And the full score of a work, with the performance arrangements and extra music, is much more fulfilling to read than simplified reductions.

If the score is not commercially available, and as long as they aren't being used to make a profit, I see no problem in obtaining a copy in other ways.

Regarding a much earlier question - Allee Willis is a hack because she can't read or write music, she can't write alone, and her work (or what we can guess might be her work, since she is always part of a group) is mundane and appeals to the herd's love of mediocrity.

Newintown, I'd have no problem with Brenna--sorry, Eleanor--buying the sheet music and then selling that copy. We can do what we like with our physical possessions.

But once she starts digitally distributing it, she's a publisher, and she's publishing without recompense to the author.

IMO.