Kenny and I went out to Copper's on Friday and Saturday to support another local band. Well, when we were there on both nights, everybody in the bar was all, "How come you guys aren't playing?" and "They should let you play tonight!" or "I'm gonna ask them if you can sing with them!" That was pretty cool....
I finished the outline for Devil's Handiwork and will start writing tonight so as to finish it by the end of the month.
YouTube yanked two of our videos today. "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Wild Night." They are both Van Morrison songs. Apparently, Mr. Morrison's record comany and lawyers want to charge astronomical fees for "syncing rights'... that is, the right to display a performance of a song. You see, apparently, even though the bar we played at pays licensing fees to ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and the Harry Fox Agency for bands to be able play cover songs in their bar, and while it is legal to record yourself playing those songs, you can't publicly display those performances without buying an exhorbitantly priced "sync license" from one of these agencies. Even if you aren't making money on the videos. Even if you EXPLICITLY say it is a cover of a song. Even if you EXPLICITLY say who the song was recorded by originally, performed by originally, and/or written by. Even if you EXPLICITLY say that you don't hold any rights to the song. You either pay the fee or have the video removed. YouTube's letter also implied that they would take down ALL our videos if we re-uploaded those two. I swear to God that I am going to record a version of the song except with my "Brown NOSED Girl" lyrics. Parodies are protected, even without asking the songwriter or anybody else.
The above item got me to thinking just how FLATTERED I would be - regardless of my fame - if someone covered my song and was proud enough of their performance to make that performance public. If I ever get famous, I am going to instruct my lawyers not to do anything to people who cover my songs in videos that were taken at shows or at home with their web cams or whatever (recording them for profit is a totally different story).
My back is still out. I have a tingling/numb sensation in my left pinky and ring finger and my left palm. I can feel the vertebrae that is out, but there is nothing I can do about it.
