Sued for singing in the shower?
p2pnet news view | P2P | Music:- There`s a company called Music Intelligence Solutions (MIS) (formerly Polyphonic HMI) that`s attempting to monopolize machine-based music recommendation and measuring, p2pnet reported in May, going on:
“Describing what amounts to a kind of DRM, ‘This type of technology is used to analyze the acoustic properties of a song and then recommend other songs that sound similar,’ a friend told us, “pointing out the news should be both interesting and relevant for anyone who`s into this kind of research, or who has a business depending on their ability to, ‘not be beholden to potentially onerous intellectual property’.”
A number of companies and investors, “should be interested in taking a close look at this — including Barcelona Music & Audio Technologies (BMAT), said the story.
Based in Barcelona, Spain, BMAT says, “we are passionate about music and technology – especially when the two come together. For this reason we decided to create a company committed to developing new software products dedicated to people`s interaction to music.”
Now, “The content police just got a new weapon,” says InforMilo. “Spanish start-up BMAT has developed software that can track live performances and reinterpretations of copyrighted works on or off the Internet. Targeted clients include YouTube and collection agencies the world over.”
And, “it’s a product for copyright owners,” BMAT CTO Pedro Cano tells InforMilo’s Jennifer L. Schenker.
With that in mind, one of difficulties facing the copyright industry has been in detecting covers — other versions of a given work — he says.
But not any more, according to Cano. With BMAT technology, all kinds of new possibilities are opened up for royalty distribution, he says, citing YouTube as an example.
With user generated content, “you have people people singing in their houses, songs, and until now, they have been unable to be identified,” he says in the video below. “But now, with our solution they can be identified. Same with live concerts, and same with professional re-interpretations.”
And he says all of this in a tone of voice suggesting it’s all perfectly reasonable.
Not that Big Music hasn’t already zeroed in on home productions.
“Remember little Holden Lenz, Stephanie`s son?” – asked another p2pnet post, adding »»»
He starred in a 29-second video, bouncing along to the Prince song `Let`s Go Crazy playing in the background
Then Vivendi Universal claimed the recording infringed a copyright.
The rumour that shower heads will soon come with pre-fitted microphones linked to the RIAA’s HQ shouldn’t be entirely discounted.
We borrowed the pic of Ferruccio Tagliavini singing in the shower (right) from Sandy’s Opera Gallery.
Good thing BMAT wasn’t around.
Canada’s SOCAN will probably be keenly interested in this.
No need to stay tuned.
p2pnet – Monopolising music recommendation, May 1, 2009
InforMilo – Play it again Sam: Spanish company’s software tunes in to derivative works, June 26, 2009
p2pnet – Toddler`s video upsets Prince, October 26, 2007
SOCAN – You can always count on SOCAN, May 25, 2009
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July 1st, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Surreal and unbelievable. Is this still planet earth??? If IQ of copyright companies goes down a little further, they finally need to be watered…
July 1st, 2009 at 4:48 pm
I’m not sure whether to think that widespread deployment is unrealistic, or to be extremely fearful of the potential abuse this technology has.
When the RIAA can catch us singing to ourselves, forcibly read the files on our computer, and then sue the hell out of us for either one, then we’ve officially entered the realm of 1984: the thought-crime is now a real possibility despite our supposed freedom of speech and freedom of conscience.
Ugh. When are enough people going to get fed up enough with this to take our stupid government and these stupid large companies down by force?
July 1st, 2009 at 6:22 pm
ditto jakykong!!!
July 1st, 2009 at 6:27 pm
I’m not sure if this could work, specially the part of suing youtube users who sing cover song of other artists. As far as i know about music rights, it is the distributor who has to pay the royalties, not the interpreter. When a band plays a cover song on the radio, its the radio station who has to pay the royalties, not the band. (The band needs to get “permission” from the original song’s publisher, but that’s another story).
July 1st, 2009 at 10:12 pm
I wonder if this technology will work in detecting renditions performed by Mr. Methane?
July 1st, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Yeah right………….
I suppose in addition to listening to some truly awful caterwauling that passes for singing in the shower i suppose the RIAA will install a video camera and show a naked man simultaneously catarwauling in shower and playing with himself………
OH PLEASE……………
You know you people are full of shit……………
Get for fucking real!!!!!
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:53 pm
What a load of dog squeeze this guy is so full of shit his eyes are brown I truly beleive people want stand for this.