DJing with DRM music

[dj smithy]

Hi there,

I'm very new to the whole world of DJing and i'm thinking of going down the digital route.

But i need your help. I was planning on

Subscriping to a service like Napster £10 or whatever a month, converting the tracks to mp3s so they play in my DJing software and there you go.

As long as i keep my subscription active is there anything wrong with this?

My other worry about this is that sometimes tracks come and disappear from the service but obviouisly my mp3 version would still play where as the DRM WMA would not anymore.

Any advice appreciated thank you

[DJWayne]

Bit of a minefield mate.

Best advice have a look through the forum for the threads on the new DJ licence they will give you some ideas with regard what is and isnt legal.

However i do believe removing the DRM from napster tracks however easy it may be to do would still be illegal :)

[spin mobile disco]

Play.com sell music without drm on them if that helps.

[JAMdisco]

But i need your help. I was planning on

Subscriping to a service like Napster £10 or whatever a month, converting the tracks to mp3s so they play in my DJing software and there you go.

As long as i keep my subscription active is there anything wrong with this?

Any advice appreciated thank you

Yes, there is something VERY wrong with this if you want to remain legal.
Basically the £10 Napster service is for you to listen on a PC or portable MP3 player (for your personal use only). If you want to 'own ' the tracks you have to purchase them (at around £790 for every 1,000 songs - very expensive)

I use this service and mainly use it for 'previewing' songs before deciding to buy them (especially re-mixes as some are just extended drum-beat intros)

[sleah]

(at around £790 for every 1,000 songs - very expensive)

Last time I bought a CD single (a while ago:D ) they were something like £3.99, so £4k for 1000
79p seems fairly reasonable to me....

[Royalblue]

Yes, there is something VERY wrong with this if you want to remain legal.
Basically the £10 Napster service is for you to listen on a PC or portable MP3 player (for your personal use only). If you want to 'own ' the tracks you have to purchase them (at around £790 for every 1,000 songs - very expensive)

I use this service and mainly use it for 'previewing' songs before deciding to buy them (especially re-mixes as some are just extended drum-beat intros)

No. That is not correct. When you buy a CD or download you are purchasing a licence, not the track. That is owned by the copyright holder. The difference with the Napster subscription is that you are renting the licence. When you buy a licence it is for personal use however you buy it or rent it. For public performance you need PPL where applicable and venues need PRS where applicable.

Secondly removing the DRM is breaching the contract with napster and therefore is illegal as you are breaching the terms of the licence. However, if you use PCDJ or VDJ then no need to convert to MP3 as they will both play WMA with the DRM :confused:

[Tom]

So all in all, your best bet is to buy lots of cd's. Have a look at the 100 Hits of.... on play.com to get you started music wise and save up and buy a Denon HD2500. :D:D:D

[dj smithy]

So if i don't remove the DRM i can play them out in gigs legally?

Just as you would with original CD's?

many thanks:)

[sleah]

So if i don't remove the DRM i can play them out in gigs legally?

Just as you would with original CD's?

many thanks:)

Yes!

[Ajaysdisco]

I use YouTube to preview tracks and I normally buy and use CD’s but if a client request a song prior to the event I don’t have, I buy it from Napster.

Your going to hate me for saying this, as I know there is loads of threads at the moment regarding digital licence and I don’t want to start another one.
Is PPL the current licence required for playing digital music publicly?
And from what I’ve heard is this under reviews and may be replaced?

[soundtracker]

I use YouTube to preview tracks and I normally buy and use CD’s but if a client request a song prior to the event I don’t have, I buy it from Napster.

Your going to hate me for saying this, as I know there is loads of threads at the moment regarding digital licence and I don’t want to start another one.
Is PPL the current licence required for playing digital music publicly?
And from what I’ve heard is this under reviews and may be replaced?

Your right we do hate you for asking this - do a search and read the orher threads- NOW:ontopic:

[Boogie Boy]

So if i don't remove the DRM i can play them out in gigs legally?

Just as you would with original CD's?

many thanks:)


Err NO I don't think so. What you haven't grasped is that SFAIK, Napster is a subscription service for personal use, NOT professional applications.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Every CD and download you buy is for personal use only.

Read the licence on the CD or download.

[Corabar Steve]

Err NO I don't think so. What you haven't grasped is that SFAIK, Napster is a subscription service for personal use, NOT professional applications.
Which was covered in this post

Yes, there is something VERY wrong with this if you want to remain legal.
Basically the £10 Napster service is for you to listen on a PC or portable MP3 player (for your personal use only). If you want to 'own ' the tracks you have to purchase them (at around £790 for every 1,000 songs - very expensive)

I use this service and mainly use it for 'previewing' songs before deciding to buy them (especially re-mixes as some are just extended drum-beat intros)
:sj:

[sleah]

Yes!


Err NO I don't think so. What you haven't grasped is that SFAIK, Napster is a subscription service for personal use, NOT professional applications.


So if i don't remove the DRM i can play them out in gigs legally?

Just as you would with original CD's?

many thanks:)


Just to clarify, I was saying yes if it were a download from the likes of iTunes.
Now how will that fit in to the new license(s)!!!

Never used a subscription service so not familiar with the licensing terms.

[Ajaysdisco]

Just some info I found regarding subscribing to Napster:

What happens to the music I downloaded to my PC if I cancel my Membership?

If you cancel your Membership, the music you downloaded from Napster will no longer be playable at the end of your current billing period. You can still use Napster Light to play and organise all of the music you own without a membership fee. Access Napster Light with the same user name and password. With Napster Light, you can also sample 30-second clips and buy tracks for 79p and albums from £7.95. If you decide to resume your Napster Membership, your Napster music library will be restored and your downloaded music will be playable again.



Also below is some general info on DRM if you’re interested:
DRM (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/drm/default.mspx)