Music Industry Looking for Lyrics Payoff

theodp writes "U.S. digital entertainment company Gracenote has obtained licenses to distribute the lyrics of more than 1 million songs. Music publishers are still mulling legal action against Web sites that provide lyrics without authorization." From the article: "Ralph Peer II, Firth's counterpart at peermusic, said licensing lyrics should boost worldwide music publishing revenues, estimated at about $4 billion annually. Peer said he hopes the unauthorized sites will seek licenses. 'I think we'll see a reasonable increase, as much as a 5 percent increase, in industry music publishing revenues five years out from where we are right now,' Peer said."

Comments?

[Anonymous Coward]

WHere are all the comments?

Peer, that bastard!

[shish]

'as much as a 5 percent increase, in industry music publishing revenues five years out from where we are right now,' Peer said.

Not content with a life of disconnecting IRC users for fun [uncyclopedia.org], he's now joined the music industry? What a bastard >:|

Re:I will...

[Anonymous Coward]

How many times must the RIAA unfairly try to exert undue control over IP rights?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind....

Top Ten Things the RIAA would Like To Make Illegal

[kthejoker]

Top Ten Things the RIAA would Like To Make Illegal

10. Whistling, humming, scatting, finger snapping, head bobbing, and any other form of "grooving" (per the Groove Memorandum of 1982.)
9. Refusing the blue pill after attending an Outkast concert.
8. Not answering your cell on the 1st ring in order to hear to more of "Clocks."
7. Fair use? More like "unfair abuse", am I right!?
6. Quoting Taking Back Sunday on mySpace.
5. Thinking about quoting Taking Back Sunday on mySpace.
4. Thinking about thinking about quoting Taking Back Sunday on mySpace.
3. Being Taking Back Sunday. (I kid, I kid.)
2. Transferring all your iTunes songs to your new bigger iPod. (You've got money for a new bigger iPod, don't you?)
1. Not handing them all of your money, every day, the second you earn it.

Re:Comments?

[MadMoses]

WHere are all the comments?

"U.S. digital nerd news company OSTG has obtained licenses to distribute the comments to more than 1 million slashdot submissions. Editors are still mulling legal action against users that provide comments without authorization."

From the article:

"CmdrTaco, head honcho at slashdot, said licensing comments should boost worldwide comment publishing revenues, estimated at about $4 billion annually. CmdrTaco said he hopes the unauthorized users will seek subscriptions. 'I think we'll see a reasonable increase, as much as a 5 percent increase, in nerd news publishing revenues five years out from where we are right now,' CmdrTaco said."

DRM?

[shish]

Will these official lyrics come in encrypted, DRM'ed text files, and you aren't allowed to sing along once your licence runs out? :P

Bob Dylan is going to be rich(er)!!!!!!1111

[limabone]

I can see the commercial:
"Did you like Bob's latest song? Did you understand a single word he said? Well now you can understand them all! Call 1-800-LYR-IC4U, operators are standing by."

Re:I will...

[maxwell demon]

Don't think you can evade by simply not listening. After all, you could buy the stuff and not listen it anyway, therefore if you don't buy the stuff you're not listening to, it's clearly piracy, because after all, if you bought the stuff you don't listen to, they would make money from it, so if you don't buy the stuff you're not listening to, it's clearly theft.

Ah, and don't miss the new flat subscription model: At a fixed daily rate of just $10 per song, you're allowed to not listen to them as often as you want!

Re:Top Ten Things the RIAA would Like To Make Ille

[maxwell demon]

9. Refusing the blue pill after attending an Outkast concert.

Well, they found a better solution against unlicensed copies in your brain. Just remove the brain by brain surgery.
They already tested the method with their executives, and they found no negative side effects.

Re:Bob Dylan is going to be rich(er)!!!!!!1111

[digitrev]

Interesting point, but you made a slight mistake. The number will be 1-900-LYR-IC4U. Like they're gonna give us lyrics at a cost to them.

Does it get any more ridiculous

[oliverthered]

Just wait until they try to stop people humming songs on the bus, they may even start a pay for thought service where money is deducted from you bank every time you get an song stuck in you head. It all looks like copyright infringement to me.

Easy Solution

[AnalogDiehard]

L33t lyrics of Beatles' "Yesterday"

Y3st3rd4y
4ll my troubl3s s33m3d so f4r 4w4y
Now it loo| Oh, I b3li3v3 in y3st3rd4y

Sudd3nly
I'm not h4lf th3 m4n I us3d 2 b3
Th3r3's 4 sh4dow h4nging ov3r m3
Oh, y3st3rd4y c4m3 sudd3nly

Why sh3 h4d 2 go I don't know
sh3 wouldn't s4y.
I s4id som3thing wrong
now I long for y3st3rd4y

Y3st3rd4y
lov3 w4s such 4n 34sy g4m3 2 pl4y
Now I n33d 4 pl4c3 2 hid3 4w4y
Oh, I b3li3v3 in y3st3rd4y

Up next

[crossmr]

I tried to post this last night, but alas the system was down for maintenance.

The music industry also announced their next move was to create a pay to play initiative targetting mp3 players. For too long have people been able to conveniently play our music over and over again. This type of longetivity in the digital format does not allow for breakage of the media from over-use. "We want popular songs to of course generate more income through requiring people to purchase new CDs, Cassettes, 8 tracks or vinyl" said one executive. To that end they've begun lobbying Apple and several other MP3 player vendors to include a counting system that will transmit a record of all songs played and the amount wireless to a network they intend to set up. They say users will get a bill once a month requiring them to pay for the amount of music they listened to. Customers who's accounts are not kept up to date will find their Ipods and other musical devices will cease to function. They've also announced a partnership with a man known only as Borris to help with collection.

Re:YARSO-Yet Another Revenue Source from smth.Obvi

[Znork]

"Clearly, singing a song out loud should require induce a fee."

Hate to break it to you, but it already does.

In a lot of places, cover bands have to pay license fees. The fact that you're getting away with singing in the shower is probably just 'cause they dont have microphones and inspectors there.

Expect that to be rectified in the near future.