Intergroove & MCPS

[Martin Dust]

Anyone know why MCPS work from manufactured product rather than sold product? Seems rather silly to me...

It helps stop bootlegs and ensures the artist gets paid, although big labels only pay on items sold not manufactured.

[TechMouse]

It helps stop bootlegs and ensures the artist gets paid, although big labels only pay on items sold not manufactured.

Exactly, it seems almost like the rule is there to crap on the little guys.

[Martin Dust]

Exactly, it seems almost like the rule is there to crap on the little guys.

There's no almost about it, there is. They don't expect the big guys to rip bootlegs I guess.

[crime]

Exactly, it seems almost like the rule is there to crap on the little guys.

and such is life.. the important thing if you are an artist is to join the relevent collection agency or get a publisher (better).. because MPCS (GEMA in germany/ ASCAP in USA) will take this money from the label whether you are a member or not....

[TechMouse]

and such is life.. the important thing if you are an artist is to join the relevent collection agency or get a publisher (better).. because MPCS (GEMA in germany/ ASCAP in USA) will take this money from the label whether you are a member or not....

Oh, I quite agree - you should definitely register and get your slice of the pie.

But in this case it seems that the MCPS is going to take money from the labels to cover physical copies that the labels will not be able to recover because they will go to the liquidators handling the Intergroove case.

Sadly there's very little legal precedent here, and since the MCPS is pwn3d by the bigger labels the little guys don't really have much of a chance.

I think Biff is liasing with the MCPS officer who is dealing with the case.

Does this affect anyone? If so, I'll try and pass on information.

[crime]

But in this case it seems that the MCPS is going to take money from the labels to cover physical copies that the labels will not be able to recover because they will go to the liquidators handling the Intergroove case.

The MCPS's argument will be that this money should have been paid before the records were pressed, unfair, I know, but unfortunately this is the way it works with vinyl, you are supposed to have MCPS licences before you press any records, and it has always been on amounts pressed, not sold...

Looking at these tactics by MCPS and other things I've seen GEMA do recently, I'm imagining we're starting to see these organisations responding to falling vinyl sales by coming down really hard about mechanical licencing issues.. Totally unfair to the small labels I know, but the way it is.. in some ways I could see this issue being the real killer for small independant vinyl labels...

[Martin Dust]

and such is life.. the important thing if you are an artist is to join the relevent collection agency or get a publisher (better).. because MPCS (GEMA in germany/ ASCAP in USA) will take this money from the label whether you are a member or not....

They don't collect if the artist isn't a member.

[Martin Dust]

There are a lot of people with claims in, so I wouldn't worry so much about the MCPS. I'd worry about the Record Industry pressing plant who have a massive claim in. As 90% of their stock was pressed there, you can guess where the stock is going to end up.

If you had a P&D, I'd forget about the stock they are holding and get read for a bill if you owed Intergroove anything.

[crime]

They don't collect if the artist isn't a member.

Maybe not MCPS, but GEMA in germany has collected money from Zinch for the track I did for them even though I wasn't a GEMA member.. Maybe this is because GEMA had a reciprocal aggrement with my publisher, but a bit rough on Zinch considering I thought there would be no problem with them having to pay mechanical royalties...

[Martin Dust]

Maybe not MCPS, but GEMA in germany has collected money from Zinch for the track I did for them even though I wasn't a GEMA member.. Maybe this is because GEMA had a reciprocal aggrement with my publisher, but a bit rough on Zinch considering I thought there would be no problem with them having to pay mechanical royalties...

If you have a publishing deal then that's the reason it got collected. I know loads of artists who run their own labels that won't join the MCPS because it means paying them to pay themselves.

[crime]

If you have a publishing deal then that's the reason it got collected. I know loads of artists who run their own labels that won't join the MCPS because it means paying them to pay themselves.

if you have a deal with a publisher as appose to MCPS or GEMA etc, you can at least do a deal with them where it says on paper that you paid your mechanicals without any money changing hands i.e. you say that you paid him, he says that he recieved the money and then paid it back to you on your royalty statement...