[HANASHIR:4120] Re: Universal Jewish Music License

[Judy Git <hillel...>]

Ellen, et al.

Why don't you - or ANY one of the artists on this list offer a workshop on this 
at
CAJE??  Joel Grishaver once offered a workshop like that vis a vis xeroxing 
pages
from books.  I think it's a lesson that is well worth learning.  While you're at
it, you might address bringing tape recorders to concerts and stuff like that.

Personally, the only dubbing I now do is for use in my car stereo.  I will put 
two
or three tapes on a 90 minute tape.  I've done it ever since I got a couple of
good tapes stuck and ruined in car stereos.  I do it for two reasons 1) to save
tapes that I love from the car stereo gobble monsters and 2) to have a LONG tape
that doesn't require my popping tapes in and out as often when I'm on a long
journey or out for a day long drive.

As for tapes at concerts, I do this ONLY at CAJE, and I record songs I've 
already
bought the professional tape of or, conversely, I buy a professional tape with
songs I've already recorded casually at CAJE.  The reason I make these 
duplicate,
triplicate and even sextuplicate recordings of the same songs is because every
conference has its own memories - it's own associations.  E.G., there is no
professional tape on which you could by Debbie singing, ".....It's going to be
quite simple, 'cause all you have to do is sing the letters like Barney, and
you'll have to go back to school" which is what she did in 1994 after the purple
dinosaur and his buddies massacred her alef bet song.  The interchange with CAJE
audiences is simply unique.

So - what do you people think of this issue from an ethical point of view.
Reactions that I've had from artists face to face on this have varied from "Do 
NOT
record my concert" which, of course, I honor, through "I don't mind" (the
majority) to "PLEASE record my concert.  I want to hear how I sounded."

So - what's the concensus??

Judy

Ellen Allard wrote:

> I'd like to speak about something that Steve Brodsky brought up concerning
> educating people,  especially when we are trying to get them to change a
> behavior.
>
> How many of us have made tapes of recordings that we like? Is it okay to
> purchase a tape or cd, and after having made the original purchase, make
> copies of it to play in the car  or to give to a friend etc.? Or how many of
> us have gone to workshops and collected sheet music that the presenter zeroxed
> for us? Is it okay to give out zeroxed copies of lyrics but not of the sheet
> music?  Where do we draw the line?
>
> My husband and I present a music workshop for early childhood teachers at many
> secular educational conferences, after which we exhibit and sell our materials
> (tapes, cd's, songbooks). If I had a nickel for each instance when a teacher,
> standing at our booth, said to a fellow teacher, in a very audible
> voice...."You buy that tape and I'll buy this one, and then we'll make copies
> for each other" or "You buy the book and then I'll zerox the pages I want to
> use", I'd have a  lot of nickels.  It's a very awkward situation, or at least
> has been awkward up until we began taking somewhat of a stand around this
> issue. And that's where the education piece comes in.  I don't believe that
> people do it with any malice intended. It's just that it's been done for so
> long, by so many people, myself included, with no questions asked, that we
> think it's ethically okay, a non-issue if you will.
>
> People will be slow to change, but we can help facilitate the change. One of
> the ways we confront the issue is by talking about it at some point during our
> workshop. Although certainly we hope our workshop particpants will purchase
> our recordings and songbooks at our exhibit table, we don't take much time to
> "hawk" them during the workshop. We make a very brief announcement about their
> availability and answer questions anyone might have about them, but that's
> about it. However, in the last year or so, we've taken a small amount of time
> to ask people to be aware of the amount of time and professional training and
> cost that goes into producing our materials. We come right out and ask people
> to avoid making copies to give to other people. We explain that it is part of
> our livelihood and that we rely on people purchasing their own copies. It is
> very awkward and sometimes I feel like I'm sticking my foot in my mouth, but
> we think it's a n important part of educating people.
>
> I think this extends to our synagogues, to the places where we need sheet
> music. For so long, it has been acceptable practice to make copies of music,
> that we don't even think twice about it. Plus, how many institutions have
> budgets that allow for purchasing individual copies of songbooks or sheet
> music? Or how many of them have created budgets for purchasing these materials
> because it is the right thing to do? Or maybe we might ask ourselves, how many
> of us have made a point of confronting our institutions and talking about the
> ethics of zeroxing copyrighted material? We all know that if we go to Staples
> to make multiple copies of copyrighted material (unless we use the machines
> ourselves), they won't make the copies. So, why is it okay for us to do it at
> our temples? I'm guessing that most of us don't want to take the time to
> confront our institutions AND we want to be able to teach the music without
> the hassles. So, we make copies. Like we've always done.
>
> The money denied the artist is certainly one issue. But there's also the issue
> of the legality as well as the disrespect we pay to the artist by not
> purchasing the materials.
>
> At the temple where I am thenew  religious school music teacher for grades 4 -
> 7, the principal asked the teachers to find two Jewish values with which to
> guide our classes. The first value I've chosen is kavod, respect. I expect the
> students to have kavod for the sanctuary in which we sing, for me as their
> teacher, and for the music that I carefully choose and teach them. I know that
> I also need to incorporate kavod into my life; to be a good role model for my
> students. I want to have respect for all of the great music that we are
> blessed with and for the composers who write it. Just exactly how does that
> kavod translate and where will we each draw the line?
>
> I applaud what Jeff has suggested and will do what I can to help educate the
> people with whom I work and sing even if it does mean asking for help in
> extracting my foot from my mouth. Thanks for listening.
>
> Ellen Allard
> Worcester, MA
>



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