[HANASHIR:10976] Doing it the "Rights" Way

[Adrian Durlester <adrian...>]

Chaverim:

This is a long e-mail which contains several new ideas. It's worth
reading it all the way through. Better than sending 4 or 5 separate
messages.

OK, gang, have I got a deal for you. As you know, for years I have
wanted to add to the Hava Nashira web site (http://www.ehavanashira.org
or http://uahc.org/hanashir) pages with holiday parody lyrics.

In keeping with my ever vigilant and annoying insistence on due respect
for intellectual property, I've avoided doing this, because "parody" has
proven to be a difficult situation with regard to copyright. And it's
further complicated by its use in a religious setting. (While copyright
law does make certain exceptions for performance of works specifically
written for liturgical purposes use in liturgical settings, it's not
clear that extends to the use of parody songs.) It almost seems that
such use in a liturgical setting would be appropriate (but what if the
original song's writer was not Jewish, an atheist, or a member of the
"Tax the Churches League" ? See, it's not so simple!)

However, in an interest in balancing what some might view as my extreme
position on copyright matters, I am willing to take a stand and consider
posting these parody lyrics (lyrics only except for songs in the public
domain) to the web site.

Here's what I'd like to do: If you are a subscriber to this list (or
happen to know a lyricist who isn't but would want to contribute) please
e-mail me (privately at purim (at) ehavanashira(dot)org) your parody song 
lyrics,
attributing the parody lyrics to you, naming the original song by its
correct title, and attributing its authorship, along with your
permission to use them for posting to the Hava Nashira web site. You may
include a sound file, or a Finale file, or  PDF file of the sheet music
*only* if the original song on which the parody is based is in the
public domain. I will then post them to the website. I will also post
original English translation lyrics. I won't be limiting myself to just
Purim, so as the year progresses, there will be more opportunities for
parodies.

Also, if you have compiled lists of appropriate holiday-related songs,
or other lists on related themes, I'd be happy to work to combine them
post them to the web site with appropriate thanks to the compilers.
Those can be sent to lists (at) ehavanashira(dot)org(dot)

I don't have the time (especially this year, chairing CAJE) to start to
create pages upon pages of lyrics and MP3 files of Jewish songs, like
several of these other sites that have been mentioned but which run shy
of respect for copyright. However, if there is a willing partner or two
out there with the time, skills and software to work on such a project
legitimately (in which we will openly solicit the contributions of all
you songwriters out there with permissions to use your materials, and
seek permissions of the copyright owners of other Jewish materials we
wish to include in our database) I'd be willing to work with them on
finally creating our always hoped for "meta online songster." The other
online resources are geared for the general public. This one would be
geared to the Jewish songwriter/songleader/music educator community.
(Maybe the good folks at Transcon also want to consider an online by
subscription only version of the complete Shireinu or the Shireinu
chordster which we could link to and promote via the Hava Nashira
meta-songster. Pages or songs could be posted as PDF files and made
available for download by subscription.) If you'd like to help with
this, e-mail me at adrian (at) ehavanashira(dot)org

Finally, I have been reluctant to post individual songwriter's MP3 and
other sound files to the site for fear of showing favoritism. However, I
do post links to artists' sites from the links page, the useful
recordings page and the songbooks page. I've tried to keep the listings
up to date and complete, but that's often difficult. If you aren't
listed there and would like to be, please send an e-mail to
links (at) ehavanashira(dot)org(dot) If your links or listings need updating or
changing, please do the same.

Be happy, it's Adar!

Adrian
Adrian A. Durlester, MTS
E-mail: adrian (at) durlester(dot)com  URL:www.durlester.com
Director of Education, Beth El Hebrew Congregation, Alexandria, VA
Chair, CAJE 27, August 4-8, 2002, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX
List Owner, hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org; Jewish Songleaders/Performers List
Co-Owner, l-torah (at) shamash(dot)org; Liberal Torah Discussion List


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