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I don’t know the answer to this dilemma but I think this is maybe what we’re in for. Lynn Miles has been a prominent folk/Canadiana artist for decades - Claire Lynch recorded her “Black Flowers”. I guess litigation is the only answer but most folk musicians can’t afford it.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid03297XKvANLw1iZNe6a1BcDZ4UKDRc95wKRFmcMG12dqj2VVuZkA5dxEq3aWpgMws9l&id=100058090418866
Edited by - chuckv97 on 07/24/2026 11:02:06
Here’s Jimmy’s song about the tragic 1949 Mann Gulch fire in Montana.
youtu.be/Dztj4X3fQps?si=5PIWGFBTsEg35qqE
quote:
Originally posted by Alex ZDoes anyone know how AI training works, and how song lyrics, audio recordings, and video recording fit into the process?
(And, a google search with an answer provided by AI is not what I'm looking for!)
Looks like there's an article about it in The Atlantic
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/06/ai-music-generators-suno-google-udio/687485/
Edited by - chuckv97 on 07/24/2026 16:55:55
Seems like the battle is about use of copyrighted works -- and what is use requiring compensation versus what is "fair use" that doesn't require compensation -- and court cases are already in progress. Copyright law is shaped by court decisions, not so such by the casual plain wording of the statutes that we can read.
The Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) are getting involved. I don't buy the "big labels" only will get compensation. A lot of little folks and big folks belong to ASCAP or BMI or other PROs, and the little folks ought to. If Gordon Lightfoot gets compensation for AI creators using his copyrighted works, then Sally Smith and Fred Jones will get compensation too -- although the amounts may be quite different.
The battle has been joined. Ain't over yet. ![]()
So if the courts find in favor of the artists and award compensation, will this case law only apply to robots v humans?
Will the estate of Earl Scruggs be able to sue all bluegrass banjoists for training on the model of his recordings and published book? Should all bluegrass banjoists be paying fair use fees to the estate of Earl Scruggs for training on his work?
Would this mean that ALL new orignial work that is not exclusively based on knowledge gained from public domain origins now owe money to any copyrighted music that might have influenced them, directly or indirectly.
You know, musicians might want to think this through a little before it backfires.
Since “rock and roll” or “rock” has no solid documental evidence of existence before the US public domain date of 1930, all rock and roll is derivative and trained on copyrighted models.
Same with “bluegrass”.
This would be a significant blow to creativity and future art if being trained or influenced with/by copyrighted work would require compensation.
Basically, this would wipe out any educational use of art of any kind produced after 1930 if any part of that education influenced the student.
And how could one prove that they were not trained on copyrighted work?
Mel Bay is about to become super rich due to his original guitar method.
The compensation for instruction books has already been paid when I pay for them at the music store counter,, further compensation is not necessary. Jimmy Webb and others wrote some very original and sophisticated songs , why should he think a Mel Bay piano primer helped him do that in any significant way? The musical scale is not under copyright; there is no one to reimburse for its use. I know you love to be in that copyright-expired zone, Joel, with all those old tunes from the 1800’s, early 1900’s. To me it sounds a bit hypocritical to put an onus on musicians (& AI ) trained on later material , when you and others were trained on older musics.
Edited by - chuckv97 on 07/24/2026 21:08:30
The principle is "fair use." That's been shaped by a long history of court decisions.
Can't just apply casual jargon like "training" and use the same word for two different activities and conclude that therefore the activities are identical under copyright law.
Copyright discussions go nowhere unless the participants have a comprehensive awareness of not only the plain meanng of the statutes but also how the statutes have been implemented as a result of legal interpretations from contests in courts over decades.
I'm outta here. Y'all can go to it!
chuckv97 , 1930 or earlier = public domain. I personally own all of that, and so does everyone else. Next year it will be 1931 and earlier (in the US).
quote:
Originally posted by Joel Hookschuckv97 , 1930 or earlier = public domain. I personally own all of that, and so does everyone else. Next year it will be 1931 and earlier (in the US).
Yes, I know , Joel. I deal with that posting YouTube videos re getting a copyright claim on some of them. I'm still puzzled by "fair use" - I thought it was about instructional videos but some of my vids have claims on only part of them ; for instance an Early Morning Rain rendition I put together, the first two go-through are instrumental - banjo and guitar - the last go-through is me singing à verse and that's the part that they put a claim against. Go figger. Methinks they count the first two as my own arrangements, which they are, but the lyrics are Gordon's so they claim that section of the video.
Edited by - chuckv97 on 07/25/2026 08:02:04
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