Do you know all the cold knowledge about music copyright, from wedding BGM to AI songs?
Have you ever thought that seemingly ordinary music usage scenarios may actually hide copyright "minefields"? For example, playing "Today You're Going to Marry Me" at a wedding, covering Jay Chou's songs in a live broadcast room, and even using AI to generate a new song with a "Jay Chou style"... Today, let's use the most interesting way to uncover the little-known secrets of the music copyright world!
Shocked! These familiar songs have actually been told before
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"Copyright Black History" of "Happy Birthday Song"
This globally popular song was once a "copyright money monster"! Before 2015, copyright fees had to be paid to Warner Music for every commercial use. From the movie "Batman" to restaurant celebrations, any commercial use had to be paid. In 2013, a documentary director was even asked to pay a licensing fee of $1500 for using this song.
Turning point: In 2015, a US court ruled that the melody of the song had entered the public domain as early as the 1920s, overturning Warner Music's 80-year copyright claim. Now, you can finally sing this song for free in any venue!
Trivia:
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McDonald's' Birthday Song is a specially adapted version to avoid copyright fees.
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The Chinese version of "Happy Birthday to You" is a completely different original song.
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The original manuscript of the song was once collected by the Library of Congress in the United States.
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Taylor Swift's "Revenge of Copyright"
In 2019, Taylor Swift's former owner resold the master tape rights of her first six albums for $300 million, and the new owner even threatened to prevent her from performing her songs at the AMA Awards. This dispute directly prompted:
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Taylor Swift has launched a "re-recording plan" and has released remastered albums such as "Fearless" and "Red." The new version is labeled as "Taylor's Version," and fans are boycotting the original version.
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The re-recorded album has repeatedly broken records and become the most successful commercial counterattack case.
Industry impact:
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Encourage more artists to request the inclusion of a "copyright repurchase clause" in their contracts.
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Promoted the revision of the Music Modernization Act in the United States.
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This has sparked extensive discussions on the protection of artists' rights and interests.
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The most dramatic "plagiarism" mistake
In 1986, the opening theme song "Yun Gong Xun Yin" of "Journey to the West" was accused of plagiarizing the French electronic music "Blue Rhapsody" because both used:
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The same electronic synthesizer (Yamaha DX7).
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Same preset tone (Fantasia tone).
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Similar way of playing arpeggios.
Truth: This is actually a common "clash of tones" phenomenon in early electronic music. In the end, composer Xu Jingqing proved his originality with his creative manuscript, and this controversy also promoted the awakening of copyright awareness in Chinese electronic music.
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The Beatles' "Apple Wars"
In 1968, The Beatles founded Apple Records and subsequently engaged in a 30-year trademark war with Apple Inc.
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In 1978, Apple Computer agreed not to enter the music business.
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In 1991, the settlement amount was 26 million US dollars.
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The launch of iTunes in 2003 once again sparked disputes.
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Final settlement in 2007: It is rumored that Apple paid $500 million.
Ironically, Apple Music has become one of the world's largest music platforms, while The Beatles' music did not land on the platform until 2015.
Soul Interrogation: Are these daily operations infringing or not?
Scenario 1: The pitfalls of wedding music
You can use it with confidence:
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Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" (created in 1842).
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Pacherbert's Canon (created in 1680).
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Performing or singing by oneself (non-commercial use).
Be careful:
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Playing original CD/digital audio: requires a performance rights license.
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The wedding company uses professional audio: it belongs to public performance.
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Shooting videos and posting them on social media may trigger platform copyright detection.
Real case: In 2021, a wedding company was sued for 500,000 yuan by the Music Copyright Association for using unauthorized background music in 500 weddings.
Scenario 2: Copyright Mystery in KTV
Consumer perspective:
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Singing is not infringing (personal entertainment).
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But KTV venues must pay copyright fees (about 11 yuan/day/private room) to the music collection association.
Where did the copyright fee go:
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50% for songwriters.
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25% to record companies.
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25% is management fee.
Trivia:
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Jay Chou's "Sunny Day" earns over a million yuan annually from KTV copyright fees!
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Japanese KTVs need to pay separately for each song.
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Korean KTVs adopt a "click-through" billing model.
Scenario 3: Dangerous Game of Live Cover
These behaviors are all infringing:
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Sing the complete song "Lone Brave" in the live broadcast room.
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Sing with original accompaniment.
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Accepting fan tips as a commercial activity.
Safe practices:
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Sing clips of less than 15 seconds.
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Use the platform's authorized accompaniment.
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Declaration of "non-commercial use."
Case: In 2022, a certain anchor was sued for 80,000 yuan for live singing JJ Lin's songs.
Scenario 4: Hidden Rules of Short Video BGM
Platform tricks:
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TikTok: Cooperate with the copyright owner to establish a music library.
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YouTube: Automatically recognizes removed or inserted advertisements.
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Kwai: Establish "Musician Plan" to support originality.
Consequences of infringement:
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First time: Video mute.
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Multiple times: Account flow restriction.
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Serious: Legal proceedings.
Survival skills:
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Using the platform's recommended "hot chart music" is the safest option.
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Remember to add watermarks to original music.
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Before covering, check the copyright status of the song.
In this era where everyone is a creator and a disseminator, understanding music copyright is not only a respect for creators but also a protection for oneself. Next time you press the play button, think about it—behind this short 3-minute melody, there may be billions of commercial games and decades of legal battles!
Voting interaction:
Voting: What is the music copyright issue that concerns you the most?
A. Wedding music copyright
B. KTV Copyright
C. Live cover copyright
D. Short video BGM copyright
Forwarding reminder:
@Your friend who always plays songs casually in the live broadcast room
@The owner of a coffee shop who doesn't know they have to pay music fees
@My best friend who loves to post cover videos
