Is it illegal if....

DJPancake

NEW NAME IS DJ INCLINED
Joined
Oct 5, 2009
Location
Massachusetts
so i got a few MIDI files at http://www.freemidi.org/ and similar sights, legit free. And I opened them up in my DAW and all the tracks were perfectly laid out, (even the parameter automatons) just waiting for me to place in my own instruments.

So of course I did, and had a blast doing so. But is it illegal/plagiarism if I do this too much? I mean, its just a midi file, but then again, I am using all the same riffs, bass lines, melody ect. exactly how the original producers did.

How many of you have done this?

My Dn'B version of Poker Face is soooo sick, but illegal? lol
 
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well if you were to release it it would probly be illegal i think anyway.
but just for messin around there no problem even if it is illegal what they gonna do??
 
even if it is illegal what they gonna do??

Befor they could get to me i could just delete the file. I'm not really worried about it, i was just wondering if it's illegal. The websight is giving away thousands of songs for free.

Anybody have some sick MIDI remixes? so we can compare? lol

lets turn this into a thread about how Lady Gaga is a hermaphrodite, and we should remix all her songs.
 
ill never remix a lady gaga tune
if i ever do i give evryone permission to crush my nuts in a vice
 
You can not copyright a melody of seven notes or less so if using just part of a melody featured youl be ok, but otherwise what others have said here ^
 
theres different levels of copyrighting a tune. for example is muhc more expensive to license an original recording than to recreate it. you still have to pay some royalties.
as far as those midi's, they cant really prove that you used that specific file as lets face it, theres only 12 notes in western music, its not that hard to fall into the same riffs.
 
ill never remix a lady gaga tune
if i ever do i give evryone permission to crush my nuts in a vice

o, yeah, i don't have the vocals to go with it. that would just be too much.

i've never even listened to any of her songs beginning to end, just bits of poker face, and my own version.
 
There are just 12 Tones in western music (some more if you add bendings etc.) but you have much more possibilities of doing something out of it, because of the rhythm or the lenght of every tone.

there are millions of songs, which use the same tones, which are played in, for example Smells Like Teen Spirit...but the rhythm is different and not many would recognize that it's not a unique Melody.
 
Depends what we're talking here, subtly using the chord progression and altering the melodies etc to create a piece of music or speeding up the tune to 170bpm and using synths instead. One of those options is plagiarism and if you commercially release a tune with the latter approach don't be surprised if you get sued (unlikely though if you're pretty underground). I know that bands have sued each other over over copying ideas before (I can't think of any specific cases at this very moment though). Just cos you've made tune using a MIDI file the fuzz aren't going to be kicking down your door any time soon but I'd think twice before trying to get it released.

My advice is the same as with sampling: if you're using bits from another persons tune don't make it blatant - ie you have to tell someone who you're sampling as opposed to them turning round to you and saying "that's a nice radiohead sample".
 
not too sure if what you did with the tunes illegal, but the fact it was lady gaga it shud be! Her "making music" should definately be against the law
 
when ever i hear copyrighting i think of suits... i fucking hate suits, they are constrictive to your movement (as copyright is constrictive to the drum n bass movement.)

Soon you wont be able to sneeze without getting sued.

Stop having fun and obey.

---------- Post added at 07:27 ---------- Previous post was at 07:19 ----------

also...

lady-ga-ga.jpg


I reckon its a trap. a dong resides in there somewhere.
 
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