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Studio Security Newsletter

Dan Daley, editor

Issue #10 — April, 2001

Not Everything is Nailed Down

In the wake of legal imbroglios over Napster and other on-line music services, and rampant music piracy in general, recording studios, post facilities and audio professionals of all stripes need to become more aware of the fact that stealing music is as much of a problem for this industry as is stealing microphones.

Napster has generated as many smirks as it has hits in recent months. But it's not as funny when you consider the stakes. The RIAA asserts that music piracy in various forms costs the music industry hundreds of millions of dollars in lost potential earnings every year. And that figure will likely be dwarfed once similar pirate activities begin to affect DVD. Look at it this way: those are your clients losing money.

Content owners have been striking back, and media facilities have been targeted and will continue to be. The RIAA has levied and collected over $20 million in fines from CD plants alone. Music studios and post houses have significant potential liability.

Here's what you can do: If music elements are being brought into the studio for projects, request the client leave a statement on file that copyright clearances have been secured. Sampling and needle drops are the main things to watch for. Also, have clients' requests for CD-Rs burned at your facility done in writing. And set up procedures by which you know to whom you're giving a CD-R. There are several cases of CD-R copies of final mixes making into the piracy pipeline before the CD is even pressed. Warner Bros. Records acknowledged that early releases of Madonna's LP Music were leaked before its official release. And in a few instances, mixes that were not approved by Madonna also made their way onto the Internet.

There's no insurance policy against piracy yet. All you've got it awareness and vigilance. Use 'em.

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