Music Royalties Body Threatens Singing Store Clerk
A store clerk in Scotland who was told she was not allowed to sing while she restocked the shelves has received a formal apology from Performing Right Society (PRS).
The BBC reports that Sandra Burt was told by the PRS (the body that collects royalties behalf of the music industry) that she was not allowed to sing to herself while she stacked shelves unless she obtained a license to perform.
The PRS originally contacted Mrs. Burt's place of work earlier this year, informing the store owner that he must have a license to have the radio playing in a place where customers would hear it. Rather than hassle himself, Sandra's boss decided to ditch the radio altogether. Bored, Sandra began singing to herself while she filled the shelves.
The Clackmannanshire resident was then contacted by the PRS and told she needed a performing license if she wished to continue singing. Burt laughed off the warning that she could be prosecuted and continued to sing. However, she was then told she could be fined thousands of pounds. Sandra said she tried hard to stop singing, but couldn't.
"They would need to put a plaster over my mouth to get me to stop, I can't help it," she told the BBC.
The PRS has since apologized. The royalties body sent her flowers with a note conceding she had a lovely singing voice and that they had 'made a very big mistake.'
Read the full story here.
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my god!! is this what it has come to? you can't sing to yourself in public anymore without a record contract
Seriously..?
In the next news, Narang Medical Ltd., manufacturer of enemas and d****ebags is suing the PRS for unfair competition.
These music industry greedy swines should burn in hell
Really??? How about this...because athletes and singers breathe harder and exhale more carbon dioxide than the average person, I think we need to start charging them CO2 emission fees. What does everyone think?
I smell violation of free speech; bloody music industry
What the heck?! You're not even allowed 2 sing now? Let alone youtube music...
I smell violation of free speech; bloody music industry
Free Speech(c) is a copyrighted term that requires you to pay a royalty fee to use in publicly accessible website.
What the heck?! You're not even allowed 2 sing now? Let alone youtube music...
I have an idea, why don't we take them to court and say that their statements were actually song lyrics that you wrote up earlier this week and that they "sang" it in monotone, and now they owe us royalties for posting our lyrics on news sites.
Scotland isnt the US. There "laws" arent like Americas laws.
...I realize there are a lot of grammatical errors in my last post. I do apologize.
Seems like a LOT of companies have been making very bad publicity moves lately. Lets see, we have the PRS threatening people who sing in public, yahoo providing free lap dances, Pepsi's iphone app... Sounds to me like alot of public relations people need to be fired and/or sent back to school.
I agree with you leo2kp, I'll even extend it to musical concerts, holly wood awards shows. I would ban re-runs and demand that these actors who feel fit to preach to us how to live, have to pay their fare share of carbon taxes! In fact I think if the "Carbon Tax" must happen it should only effect industries that provide non-crucial services, such as entertainment.
This is why Frost ie P2P will never die
I smell violation of free speech; bloody music industry
It's Scotland. Free speech is taken for granted based on centuries of common practice, not protected by written law.
What I'd like to know is: How did they know she was singing? Did someone snitch? Do they have ninja spies everywhere? She was singing to herself, the back of isle 5 or somewhere, and they want to fine her for singing to herself. That seems more like an invasion of privacy than anything else, sheesh.
You know what, you put a song on a media and sell it to ppl, means it's public and fuck they need to see this. Singers and Actors need to get out there and work like the rest of us and stop think there crap don't stink. Oh yea I'm glad she still gets to sing.. One last thing companies are taring this world of ours apart.
Not news. Homer and Lisa Simpson were threatened by Disney's lawyer years ago for humming.
Yet the music industry boards still fail to understand why we see them as a plague.
Its like kicking someone in the junk, then questioning you afterwards why you don't like them...
(Sorry brain isn't on its 2nd coffee yet this morning, bad analogy)
This woman should be in prison!!! She did not have the express written permission of the original music artist to sing these songs. She is a criminal and should be treated as such. In this economy an artist can not afford to have their work stolen like this. Artists need to eat too and by singing a song that is not your own, you are taking food off these artists tables, stealing from their whole family.
Sad.
Fuck the music industry.
Fascist SOBs
Can we all agree that this has gone way to far??
Stuff like this makes me WANT to pirate music not stop.
Someone give the PRS a slap for me...
Scotland isnt the US. There "laws" arent like Americas laws.
How does this matter? If you're not allowed to sing or speak when ever you wish, doesn't that seem wrong to you?
How does this matter? If you're not allowed to sing or speak when ever you wish, doesn't that seem wrong to you?
I believe he was refering to the first amendment comments.
You can't sing your favorite song anymore... This is wrong on so many levels... At least they realized how ridiculous it is and didn't take the poor lady to court.
In the next news, Narang Medical Ltd., manufacturer of enemas and d****ebags is suing the PRS for unfair competition.
Best post of the week. I bow to you.
Im not sure whats worse. The company actually trying to do this or some miserable piece of shit reporting her 3 separate times.
Actually...I think it should be the other way around. If you sing a song you are advertising for the performing artist that created the song and as such this singing lady should get paid every time she sings the song. Playing a song is different than performing it. If someone actually makes and effort to perform a song it is like word of mouth. You are telling people that you enjoy that particular song or artist and maybe they should consider looking into that song as a personal favorite as well.
After hearing this story I have absolutely no sympathy towards the people who control the music. They are ruining it for the artists. I would suggest that all artists should from now on make their own music and sell it online without greedy corporate bastards trying to control us and what we want to listen to.
Corporations ruin creativity. They create formula's for the spoon fed masses. They have destroyed countless genres of music. They polish musical turds and sell them to the unsuspecting masses.
Corporations are inherently evil. Rage against this monster and sing!