Promoters and show organizers in Dominica are asked to be on the alert as the Eastern Caribbean Copyright Organization for Music Rights (ECCO), says it is stepping up legal action across the OECS against those using music from its repertoire without permission.
Last week ECCO won a major victory against a concert promoter in Grenada when it filed an injunction prohibiting the use of copyright works, which it says belong to its repertoire, without the relevant music user permit.
Chairman of ECCO McCathy Marie said the Grenada action shows that the organization is taking its job seriously and will be stepping up ligitation and court action across the OECS. “Part of the action involves taking people to court when they infringe as well as taking preemptive action when people infringe our rights,” Marie told DNO.
He said promoters, show and concert organizers in Dominica should be on the look out since they are not exempt from ECCO initiated court action. “Promoters in Dominica must know that when they are putting up an event they must get a license because we are likely to take action against them to stop them from using our repertoire,” he said.
Meanwhile, Steve Ettienne, general manager of ECCO said the Grenada action shows that obtaining a permit for using copyright material is nothing new. “It is happening all over the world through collective management agencies and ECCO presently has reciprocal agreement with various copyrights organizations giving it the right to negotiate for their members and will do so in accordance with existing laws,” he said.
Something needs clearing up here.
Today all music is now just a promotion for live concerts and selling t shirts t that live concert. That is a sad but true fact.
Singles have been seen as purely promotional by the music indistry for many years. They spend big budgets on recordings and video not to sell many singles … But to promote the album. That was where the money was. They saw their singlesvas loss lesders. But now the public knew their songs and would then pay to see them live and buy their albums.
However that is all dead. Pirating has killed even this. You can either try sail in your sieve and plug the holes or you can adapt.
Live music is now the only way for ny musician excepy maybe beiber to make a living.
In an ideal world google would stop free downloads and all the p2p sharing software would be banned. They guys in Roseau would be selling legit recordings and we would all make a little money. This is not an ideal world.
So … We have to get making live music number 1 on DA. That way as musicians we can earn a crust.
To stop promoters making a profit … We are killing live music. No promoter will make a loss more than once … They change things … The change they will make under maries regime is that they will no longer play our music or put us in live at their shows.
Now … If i let them play my music for nothing all over the island … My live worth goes up. I make some money … I can record more and get played more.
If i stop them playing by charging promoters fees to play my music then my reknown is less and i am worth less. I am not Beyonce …. I am not Justn Beiber … My worth is not my fame …. i have no fame as such. My worth is only if i can ask as many dj as possible play my music at parties … I then play live and everybody go … “Wow i love this song … So this is the group”.
One day maybe google etc will atop pirating and the music inustry will bounce back … Don’t hold ya breath nuh.
Until then … Live is life.
First time I hear that wi… Im a UK based promoter and we dont pay them licence. The club pays for an annual licence from the PRS and that covers all events hosted there
Well the man or the org. can send scouts or reps anywhere to monitor music, and the artists do deserve to get paid when their music is played. It just his tone that comes to question at this time as this is new. They have to take baby steps and spread the word, educate the public etc. for this to fly.
You and I don’t see a DJ writing down what they going to play for the gig, or a restaurant for the day. It’s time them rum shop owners putting speakers outside and playing people music all day pay up.
However, radio stations do it. They list the tunes they play, it’s not perfect but artists do get paid when stations play them. But getting John-Q-Public to make a list and send to or ECCO is a whole other thing that will take education for this to fly.
Just make music available free of copy right, and hope to hit. It has been done.
Umm hello, does that include poems? Because I am so confused right now.
Marie Make dem Be cuz is country n western music i playing in my bar
And for the record, ECCO’s representatives usually approach promoters and show organizers before the event is held. These organizers are presented with the pricing schedule and they have options long before the show or event comes around. However many promoters don’t care enough to obey the law or support local talent. I must mention the latter because many local song-writers are beginning to get organized and even though their share would be minimal at the outset, their songs are counted.
Do not play that card … we are not idiots.
NOBODY buys music anymore. That is a fact. sad fact maybe … but there it us.
Only way to earn is to play live … You see Madonna going out nearly every year on tour? … you think she like that? 50 plus and still she need to go play live? No other way to make a living … OK, I do not feel sorry for her she has plenty … but here … no promoter can afford your silly rates. No live music will be played.
Sad day that Marie took that job … from who I have no idea … who gave him the job? is it like a Franchise? Whoever gets the license gets the dough? Who asked him to do this work to stop promoters?
Am I a promoter? NO … I am a live musician and I need to play at parties … legal and illegal … that is my meat man.
It all comes down to money for men like that. He wants to sit and pretend he is doing good … ‘helping’ the artist … which artists he helping?
You are a joke. Call yourself a musician? This happens all over the US.
The late James Brown said the music business is 90% business and 10% music. Get real fool. PROTECT YOUR INTEREST.
ECCO is just one of many collective management organizations (CMOs). Their job is to collect royalties for the song-writers they represent. These royalties come in the form of licenses to users of music, such as night clubs, restaurants, hotels, department stores, etc. We must understand that if the song-writers don’t get paid, there won’t be any music to enjoy!
Asking about ECCO’s repertoire is a reasonable question. Here’s how it works: each song-writer is affiliated with only one performing rights organization or CMO, and these organizations usually operate based on geography. For example, ECCO covers the Eastern Caribbean; COTT covers Trinidad and Tobago; ASCAP, BMI and SESAC cover the US and its territories; etc. It would be impractical for each individual organization to make inquiries on their song-writers’ behalf in all regions of the world. So to avoid this, they make arrangements and partner with their sister organizations to represent each others’ pool of clients in their respective regions.
For example, ECCO collects royalties for Trinidadian song-writers whose songs are played in the Eastern Caribbean and vice versa. So, based on these reciprocal agreements, it is more than likely that if a public event is held, the DJ or band will be playing music of song-writers who are represented by ECCO; the majority of commercialized music is registered with a collective management organization (including Jamaican and American music).
I think what we need to remember is this: when a song-writer writes a song and that song is sung by an artist, and then subsequently recorded onto a CD or MP3 and sold, that song is still the property of the song-writer. The song-writer has licensed the artist (or a record label) to record and make copies of that song. Similarly, when you as a consumer by that CD, you have entered into a license agreement with the song-writer and the record label. You have licensed that song for personal consumption. Commercial users must purchase a separate license and that’s where ECCO comes into play. This type of arrangement is standard in many different industries; individuals are charged one price and business/companies are charged another price.
I hope this long-winded explanation helps to clear that air a bit.
Brother you know your stuff that’s very good, I fine it’s just a waste to see an artiste go through all the stress to produce a song, make a music video, which he has to pay for and then you hearing his/her music playing every where, even on ads and that artiste gets nothing for that. It was high time we start protecting our local artiste.. Congrats ECCO!! Let them pay!!! All them Christmas and New Year activities they gonna be having all over the place they better get the necessary license to play music and stuff..
Look .. Stop talking nonsense … Nobody buys music anymore. Let us be clear about that.
Make it easy to put on a show and stop bullying ppl to pay money for something they do not need.
Live is life.
Blah blah blah … Waffle and waffle again… You are pretending that the past is still present.
If it was 10 years ago i would be right with you. Ppl playing my music would need to pay me. They would pay me to own my music also.
However … Nobody buys music anymore anywhere.
So we need to change tack … More live concerts is the only way. As a musician … I need my promoter to get a handful of cash so that i can play again …. For more.
You are clearly making money from the situation and would like to see less live music.
You are killing live music for sure. Any musician who is on this island would oppose you.
What does their repertoire consist of?!?!? How am I to know?
ECCO behaving like the Taliban in Afghanistan and Mali. It is either no music or you have to pay to play music.
McCathy leave people alone.
well I agree with you that he should leave people alone since he proves WHAT A RAT SAYS INSIDE HIS HOUSE IS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT IS SAID OUTSIDE
Good analogy.
Well Mr. Marie, it would be in your organization’s interest to encourage promoters and music lovers to support the artists and music the right way, but your threat is doing the artists a disservice by causing the users and buyers to revolt and not support.
I am in support of copyright laws, but your tone is not supporting the cause.
understand the issue before making spurious comments ppl.. the issue is merely a matter of protecting other persons property and ensuring that they get paid wen even their work is used at the end of the day u can’t drive a man’s vehicle without his permission. it’s a matter of respect for musicians and their work as well it’s not right to use ppls hard work for ur own monetary gain and they don’t benefit. i support the action ppl to teeth
NO musician will fair better with these idiotic laws. Only ONE man will do well … Marie. This is HIS self promoting nonsense. He is actually PROUD.
Ask him to state his salary. That salary is taken and THEN any small amount that is left over will be … ? Well, I have no idea because it has never happened.
WHO actually gave this Marie the job anyway? NOT the musicians that is for sure.
I guess they will have to play only international artists. Let’s see how much of their repertoire they will sell. It’s getting ridiculous by the moments. I full understand the copyrights issue but this is madness. I hope the DJS just stop promoting those music altogether.
I guess, everyone will have to start playing hymns, remix hymns and improved hymns. They can never go wrong with that.
So you honestly think your suggestion is better than to just do the right thing as it is done all over the world? When exactly will we grow up?
You do not understand the copyright laws.Go read them again.Mc Marie is doing a very positive service. In the long run the musicians eill thank him.
STOP BOOTLEGGING in Dominica.
Hah … You must be marie … Nobody else would say that axcept him.
Nobody buys music anymore … O there is nothing to collect except. Few pennies. Those pennies are for you mr marie.
The modern musician has only one way to earn a wage … To play live.
There will be no live soon thanks to you.
U Don’t seem to understand all the internaional music is covered by ecco too. Just pay the dam license. And stop useing another mans work without paying him
Back to Belaire, jinping and Quadrille. Too much loud electronic music, half of them don’t use a live drummer on recordings anyway. lol
LOL! Hip-Hop music doesn’t have live drummers in the music, period. That’s what Africans in the Caribbean are flocking to nowadays. Let’s beat the congas, play the Mazuk, blow the conch shell, play shak shak, gwaje and calabash again!
All this will do it drag our local/Caribbean music DOWN DOWN DOWN and away!!!. The ECCO doesn’t represent US ad Jamaican music artist. so all you will hear not in parties is Rap and Dancehall music.
Then they will wonder why our music not getting out there why it so unpopular? ANSWER: its because of those foolish actions of the ECCO in Dominica
Can Mcmarie get a little harder work to do. I live in a southern village and we play all types of music when we have a sewo, tell him to come and see. Why is he only staying in Roseau and blow his hot air.
Aye Dominique! Mes amis sa-ou ka faire Dominique; sa qui vle detwi-ou.
Soon Dominicans will not beable to keep dances, house parties , play music at discos and play music on beaches at holiday times, according to Mr Marie. I see this long in the making
we will beat drum and blow whistle
So you prefer to beat drum and blow whistle instead? Yes Sah…So Dominican music owners do not deserve what everybody else gets!
we will have to beat tin boy
So how is it that all the events that you mentioned take place successfully all over the world? Are they smarter than we are?