WKRP In Cincinnati

[PaulBWalkerJr]

Speaking of WKRP In Cincinnati, check this out:
http://www.walkerbroadcasting.com/wabvabbeville.mp3

 

[tcsnrayp]

Very nice.

 

[BlaineMcDaniel]

Wow...

That's all I have to say.

 

[PaulBWalkerJr]

It's a little cheesy I know, but as a WKRP Fan, Radio Geek and Radio Personality/Station Manager, I love it! (Especially since it airs on my station at sign off, right before the national anthem)

 

[HHalland]

hey that was great! Holy Crap. Can you make me one? Did you sing on it? Man that is amazing. Would that fit on any station? Can I be sued if I used one like that? Holy Crap. Honest to God that was really good!

Howard Halland
thank you

 

[BehindTheLines]

My eight year old just asked me "Why would they take someone else's music?"


We're sending her to work for ASCAP, BMI, Or SESAC after high school.

 

[Marc0n1]

Your eight year old is right. It's a clear copyright violation.

Doesn't fall under "Fair Use," which allows for a SMALL PORTION of a copyrighted work to be copied in order to comment on it or review it.

Nor is it a song parody, where someone else's melody can be used but with SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGED LYRICS in order to satirically comment on the original work.

In this case, the work has been copied in its entirety, with the original lyrics almost completely intact, for the sole purpose of promoting a profit-making business, a radio station. Whether the owners of the song find out about it and bother to sue is anybody's guess, but it's an open and shut case. It's also likely that the karaoke track being used didn't receive the proper royalty payment for a broadcast performance.

 

[PaulBWalkerJr]

Thanks for alerting me to that fact. I'll contact the singer of the song to see what he has to say............

No ones ever mentioned it being any sort of problem. However, we don't use it to promote anything.. we use it during sign off at sunset on our station. We make absolutely no money off that song.

 

[BehindTheLines]

Thanks for alerting me to that fact. I'll contact the singer of the song to see what he has to say............

No ones ever mentioned it being any sort of problem. However, we don't use it to promote anything.. we use it during sign off at sunset on our station. We make absolutely no money off that song.

I'm not trying to be a jerk...

But ...

...using it even as a sign-off is promoting your station. Illegal.


Regarding your next course of action being contacting the singer...my guess is that the singer isn't going to pay your station's fine, should someone decide to sue. =) He's not even responsible. So your next course of action should be something else.

In addition, the fact that your usage of this song is now on a national message board and in the line of sight for anyone to see makes the situation all the more urgent for your station.

I'm not trying to be a weenie about it. But I would suggest you talk to an attorney or someone who knows the law. At the very LEAST stop using it 'til you know for sure that you're not in violation.

Some advice from somone who's quite a bit older than you; I got my first programming gig when I was in my early 20's like yourself. A big lesson that I learned (the hard way) was that my chief responsiblity is to protect the station's product. And knowing the laws regarding endangering the station's license and financial well-being is part of that.

Programming is fun. But it's a HUGE RESPONSIBILITY. Best of luck.

 

[eggman961]

I think we're ignoring the real, relevant issue here.


If you're gonna completely rip off somebody's copywritten work....


at least HIRE SOMEBODY WHO CAN FREAKIN' SING.

 

[BehindTheLines]

LOL...yep. The guy did kinda sound like my high school guidance counselor at Holiday Inn's Karaoke night.