Latest Story
Win Kanye tix or an Xbox 360!
Love him or hate him, there's no denying Kanye West has grown to become one of the... [more]
CHANGE CITY :
Is there a new generation of DJs who aren’t paying for their music? Some of the old hands in the dance music industry seem to think so, with an investigation getting underway into pirated music at some of Australia’s most popular clubs and bars.
It was reported on Saturday in the SMH that Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI), an anti-piracy unit for the local industry, are looking into allegations that DJs all over the country are rocking the clubs with downloaded music they didn’t actually pay for. The article included the scandalous accusation from veteran DJ Stevie B who claimed that as many as 90 per cent of club DJs are playing music that they obtained illegally. “Stroll into any club, if they’ve got six DJs on their roster, five of them will be pirates – that’s a guarantee,” he said.
ITM spoke to Sabiene Heindl, general manager of the MIPI, who says the investigation has been underway for the past several months. “We’re investigating a number of DJs who are operating in quite high-profile clubs in Sydney in particular,” she says. “Over the past year we’ve received increasing complaints of DJs who are using music illegally, and I guess the real irony in this case is that you’ve got DJs who profess a love for music, and are making money out of that music, but in many cases aren’t actually paying for the use of that music.”
Sabiene says it is important that all DJs understand the risks, responsibilities as well as the limitations of playing music in a club environment – and for that reason they recently compiled a fact sheet for DJs titled Are You Doing The Right Thing?. It answers a number of questions and can be accessed HERE.
The MIPI confirm that a lot of the complaints are coming from other longstanding DJs, upset by the amount of digital music that they see their younger competitors flaunting on their laptops and CD wallets. However, it’s unclear whether these allegations take into account the fact that digital music is now widely (and easily) available throughout the world via websites like Beatport and hundreds of other independent record labels for as little as a few dollars a track.
So what’s the full story? ITM will be getting the rundown from some of Australia’s ‘veteran DJs’, as well as talking to some of the up and comers to see if the charges are correct. Stay tuned…
Junior says...
It works both ways. If Ajax plays a track he's just downloaded for free then that track has a much better chance of being picked up by other DJs and therefore having commercial success. Most DJs of any note get given free music by labels anyway. A free exchange of music amongst DJs can create a vibrant and dynamic scene. It's not all bad.
Fourthstate says...
Just keep your receipts when you purchase your tunes!
polarbear says...
> A free exchange of music amongst DJs can create a vibrant and dynamic scene. It's not all bad. and why shouldn't the musicians get recompensed for facilitating the creation of a vibrant and dynamic scene?
cowabungadude says...
keep your receipts!??? innocent before being found guilty me thinks
FunkyJ says...
If clubs are so concerned get rid of CDJs... simple...
DJ_LG says...
Are they talking about music they didn't pay for at all or music they did pay for but don't have a licence to play it publically?
middyjones says...
, stealing is stealing, i agree all tracks should be payed for
politik says...
Noone will ever take the MIPI seriously anyway. The distorted view of music that they, and the RIAA hold is erroneous and irrelevant. Not only did they rebunk findings that were backed by academia showing that downloading music illegally has NOT had an adverse impact on legal sales, but they're open to individual litigation for users in Australia.
dr_aztek says...
try downloading vinyl..
funkytom says...
Big deal, most big name DJ's get there music for free anyway. I doubt the producers are complaining that DJ's are playing there tracks out. These people need to get with the times.
irishkittycat says...
I'm friends with quite a number of djs, including my ex boyfriend, and yes most of the cds they use are burned. However majority of their stuff is downloaded from places like beatport and djdownload. They respect their industry if they are serious about wanting to succeed.
Seanus12 says...
A lot of those track that are free on the net are shit quality anyway would never think of playing a track from a blog Beatport all the way
Frank_K says...
Wow, you can't even play a CD you've purchased legally.
Suspekt says...
seems like sour grapes from the vinyl elitists if you ask me. I dont buy much physical media anymore... but ive spent over $400 this month on digital stuff. Does this make me any worse than carrying a bag full of records? No it doesnt, in fact it saves my back from a lifetime of hell. I do agree- more people should try and use higher quality formats like .wav or .flac... but this doesnt mean digital djs are any worse than anyone else... Vinyl elitism is one of the saddest things in our scene... it seems like they are threatened by a whole lot more than the fact we are using digital music.
hustlehoff says...
Suspekt...Your a fuck wit. I have never added a coment here before, but after reading yours I had to. I don't give a fuck who you are or who you think you are. I am a person who only plays vinyl, not cos I don't like cdj's or downloading, I just love vinyl and love to play it. I have spent years building my collection, $400 would buy fuck all vinyl...I see a place for all forms, its like the different types of drums or sax etc. I'm not sour I just get pissed of when some nob who only mixes cd's and only down loads tracks try's to dis on people who support and love vinyl. Have you ever mixed vinyl? There is no magic button that flanges or loops your track. Lets just respect what each other does.
Elliot Ness says...
Reading thru the last 3 posts here there are obviously some misconceptions as to what this is about. Its not a VINYL v CD or mp3 war. MIPI want to stop illegal downloading and copying by DJs. The simple rule is if a DJ has PURCHASED a CD, mp3, or vinyl record then the DJ can play these in any venue without licence as the venues have their own licences with APRA and PPCA. A DJ CANNOT play illegally downloaded mp3s from a laptop or on burnt CDs. A DJ who does so faces a huge fine, and so does the venue where he or she plays. As a retired "veteran" DJ who has worked all over Australia and the world since 1981, I think that its fair. DJs should not earn a living from illegally obtained music. What I think is totally UNFAIR is MIPIs ruling that a DJ CANNOT make a compilation CD, mixed CD, personally remixed version, or mp3 for a laptop from a LEGALLY purchased CD or Vinyl record without purchasing a licence from AMCOS and obtaining permission from the record company for each individual track. This part of the ruling needs to be challenged by every DJ as it is totally UNFAIR.
DJ GeRmAn says...
I'm not one anyones side, but he did mention $400 in the last month, not a lifetime. $400 will still get you a decent number of tunes on vinyl, probably about 25ish, for digital your looking at about 120ish Also the majority of tunes released now days dont ever reach vinyl, it's only the BIG labels that really can afford to take the risk. I own my own record label, and I would love to press vinyl but its just way too expensive and risky, with the sales dropping each year on the vinyl market. Vinyl has a better sound no doubt, but if we all ONLY played vinyl then a lot of us would be playing the same stuff, since hardly any tunes make it on vinyl anymore, if your comparing it to ALL the labels of that genre.