Copyright watchdog files lawsuits over background music in stores

The typical store company promotional constant loop is what drives me up the wall. Ever been to a Mr. Max lately?

Exactly. Having the same loop blaring throughout your entire shift, day after day, seriously can't be good for mental health. Perhaps the health and well-being of employees is not of concern...

Ever been to a Mr. Max lately?

bass4funk - I often wonder how staff working there do not wind up going nuts listening to the Mr.Max theme all day long!

"We would like to solve the issues by explaining beforehand as much as we could," 

So we sue you and tell you why in court?

In a local 7/11 in my area, they've been playing the same 40's and 50's jazz for as long as I can remember. Ironically though, I recognised the music as being from a like CD I obtained on a Business Class flight, many years ago. The cover clearly states "Not licensed for public use outside of American Airlines First & Business Class"

People do not go to stores, restaurants and barber shops, for the music!

It looks like NHK guy comes to my apartment and ask subscription fee. Don't pay it.

This is so petty and these people should find a real job.

Things like this make me think whether we made a mistake putting "Intellectual Property" (something with no solid form) on such a pedestal.

How about conbinis with their endless elevator 'muzak' rendition of The Monkees' 'Daydream Believer' ... Can these people make it stop?

The typical store company promotional constant loop is what drives me up the wall. Ever been to a Mr. Max lately?

The thing is, whatever music that is being played, its not like the stores are running some kinda NAPSTER or free burn and rip site or what have you. Many people don't even notice the music being played. This is another great case of pure and un-adultrated GREED.

@Geoff Gillespie : Because the publishing in Japan is different to the rest of the world. Only in Japan do the record label, mixer and other people get a guaranteed cut of the publishing money. Overseas only the song writer gets the money.

Case and point it is very easy to cover a western song, all you need to do is give credit to the original song writers and you are done (assuming you don't do a music video). But in Japan you have to literally get contracts and ask people... Japan's music industry is built around business and not music or artists.

@koiwaicoffee: Depends on the service, for example I'm sure if you read spotify's term's and conditions it says you can't play it publicly. But if you join a service such as Usen BGM which is literally built for shops and such there is no problem. Radio is also no problem because the station is paying big bucks to play each song.

I am a creator and have a very modest income from royalties in my home country in Europe. I would agree if artists would actually see the money collected by JASRAC and if the applications for the use of music would be easy to apply for (on line and in bulk) for a modest fee. But like most Japanese bureaucracy JASRAC is convoluted and inefficient system, a greedy self serving racket to fill the pockets not of artists but JASRAC's own.

Those modern gangsters are so greedy they will ask you to pay money and sue you if you are Humming a copyrighted Tune.

Japanese pop groups occassionally rip offf music from Western ones, and simply add Japanese Words... does that count ?

If you play music from a streaming service, do you still have to pay jasrac's fee?

As far as I know the copyright expires 50 years after the artist's death. That means you typically can't play music from the 50s or 60s for free.

That's certainly the case in Japan, so it's hard to believe that anything they were playing had already fallen out of copyright.

In my country for example, even if you only play free music in your shop, it is still mandatory to notify the "public performance" to the local copyright association.

Yes, the excesses of copyright are pretty amazing. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any strong movement to roll back protection for rights owners. I think it's partly because the average person doesn't fully grasp how many innocent activities are technically illegal. For example, if you tell someone that playing thier CDs at the office for everyone's enjoyment constitutes an unauthorised public performance (but listening with headphones is fine) they simply won't believe it. They will ask: How could some so ridiculous actually be true considering I own the physical CD? Unfortunately, it is true.

I've actually been teaching English with a copyright clause in all my lessons. Every time a student uses English (whether they speak it, or simply hear it) they have to tally it up and send me a wire payment at the end of the month. How else am I supposed to make ends meet?

There are a couple of students who are stubbornly holding out, so I've send cease and desist letters. If they still refuse to pay up, I'll have to bring in the lawyers. Some people have no respect.

Why not just find a radio station? Or were they disbanded due to copyright violations?

I have some experience with these JASRAC people. They are only interested in collecting on Japanese music, their partners elsewhere in the world are under the mistaken belief that they are also acting in the best interests of western artists. Not so. If they were really that bothered, they'd head off to Nishi Shinjuku and close down all of the bootleg CD stores...bootleg CDs of only western artists, I might add. Hypocrites...

Jasrac want their 6%

That's messed up and so unlike Japanese to not pay for services. Usually by that time grandma or grandpa would have paid or some other family member before it got to this.  Either way what I want to know is why do all yakiniku restaurants play Jazz music?

Music shops are violating haircut copyrights.

As I said about this ridiculous BS before, get all the major music schools to stop using Japan's major publishing companies, if they're going to be sued for teaching kids popular songs without getting payment. That'll stop these guys in their tracks. And how about shops that play the radio or online streaming?

All this, and yet you can STILL walk into ANY music store in Japan and find blank CDs and even burners next to the cash register at the rental checkout. These guys turn a blind eye to any real offenders and start seeking out the little guy for just providing a bit of atmosphere with music they have already paid for. I hope one of these morons has a child who doesn't like the music dad is playing at home in the kitchen and sues him for broadcasting without the proper rights.

Do music shops pay?

Copyright length varies between countries, Spain has a very short one and you can buy CD cheap from there.

3 part time workers at a clothing store discuss which tunes to play in store.

Bam, conspiracy law violation, all employees go to jail.

And thus it begins in Japan. Soon we will see life prison sentences for minor crimes like we saw in the US for Napster users in the early 2000's.

Derek

Huckleberry friend, I think refers to the river being a free adventurous spirit like that of the character of Huckleberry Finn from author Mark Twains books about Tom Sawyer and "Huck" Finn.

I must say though that I did enjoy your comment and gave me a good laugh, thanks.

Really? I find this a bit hard to believe. Even if they were playing old-timey music from the 50s and 60s, I suspect the modern sound recordings would still attract some degree of copyright protection. Or were they actually spinning the original vinyl records on one of those giant gramophones? That said, I have no sympathy for the copyright gestapo.

As far as I know the copyright expires 50 years after the artist's death. That means you typically can't play music from the 50s or 60s for free.

There is modern music where the artist(s) explicitely relinquished their copyright. You can use it for free. I would assume you can also play it for free in a shop, but the world is full of extremely stupid copyright laws and Japan is no stranger to stupid laws... (In my country for example, even if you only play free music in your shop, it is still mandatory to notify the "public performance" to the local copyright association. You have to provide proof that the music is free, otherwise you still have to pay. Good luck with that when it is music from foreign artists...)

these JASRAC guys have a nice little extortion racket going on...

They also need to be fined for playing bad music, if I hear Maria Carey playing around Christmas time this year im going postal.

Lol damages? Yeah, the music publishers are losing millions because people are going to these establishments to listen to this music and perhaps record it instead of buying or streaming it. Makes sense to me.

If people are going to their local barbershop to record the music being played there, they need to get a life.

How about conbinis with their endless elevator 'muzak' rendition of The Monkees' 'Daydream Believer' ... Can these people make it stop?

On the principal, if you play copyrighted music, you need to pay because you benefit from it.

Same as buying your tools.

Heretic:

It's the Moon River muzak at the train stations that saps my will to live...

I'm with you on that. I loathe that song. You can either cross a river or go the same way as it. And what the balls is a huckleberry friend? Bag o' bolleaux.

Does this mean I don't have to listen to Xmas songs in combini's on the first of October to...

I only shop at stores that play music I like. ah ok that makes perfect sense, what about low prices, good service!? heres an idea how about wearing some ear phones and play your favorite songs from a digital player/smartphone , you can shop at any store you want then !?!?

It's the Moon River muzak at the train stations that saps my will to live...

Then again; hearing the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang theme in a department store recently was joyous.

We were only playing music with expired copyright," the owner of the barber shop said.

Really? I find this a bit hard to believe. Even if they were playing old-timey music from the 50s and 60s, I suspect the modern sound recordings would still attract some degree of copyright protection. Or were they actually spinning the original vinyl records on one of those giant gramophones? That said, I have no sympathy for the copyright gestapo.

I wish shops in Japan would stop playing music.

I only shop at stores that play music I like.

Lol damages? Yeah, the music publishers are losing millions because people are going to these establishments to listen to this music and perhaps record it instead of buying or streaming it. Makes sense to me.

Greed.