Folks,

 

I'm not sure if that's a good description of what is going on at the
Rochester area library, but it's one way of putting it. The MCLS is offering
to lease recordings of local musicians for inclusion in a download and
lending program.

 

Quoting the Web page, "The library has loaned music for decades, CDs most
recently, and cassettes and vinyl before that. The Arts & Music Division of
the Central Library is developing a new service to enhance our collection
and to bring our patrons the latest technology by making our local music
available for download. This new service, called the Central Library Local
Music Project, has been created to make the music of local talent available
to our patrons through both downloadable and CD formats. The project is
currently in its beginning stages." They'll pay $50 for a two-year lease.
Anything else like this going on out there?

 

One question this raises for me is that it seems targeted to entirely DIY
projects, where the artist/leaser holds all the rights,
composer/lyricist/arranger/mechanical. Could such a simple agreement as what
the library has prepared cover more complex ownership situations? How would
this work for, say, music that is PD, but where multiple performers hold
some ownership, or cover versions of copyrighted songs? Are they assuming
that the leaser has secured all the necessary rights, as they should for a
recording offered for sale? Would that be necessary for this form of
distribution?

 

Here is the main page
http://www3.libraryweb.org/LocalMusicProject/subpage.aspx?id=475944 The FAQ
has some detail.

 

And here is the licensing agreement
http://www3.libraryweb.org/uploadedFiles/MCLS/Central/Departments/Arts,_Musi
c_and_Recreation/Local_Music_Project/Rochester%20Public%20Library%20Music%20
Licensing%20Agreement.pdf

 

Any insights from people who know something about these issues (i.e. not
me!) are appreciated. Looks like a cool, if limited, initiative.

 

Carl