"Harry Krause" wrote in message
. ..

What the music industry needs is a copyright pricing structure that fairly
compensates the actual producers of music AND doesn't rip off consumers of
that product...and they don't have it yet.

One of the reasons midi sequencers like myself stopped sharing some files on
the 'net is because of the threat of lawsuits. Actually, not threats, but
real litigation in some cases that shut down most sites that featured midi
files. Midi files are not music recordings like mp3s or .wav files. They
are a series of instructions to a sound board, card or instrument that can
receive midi instructions. The sound card or instrument then plays the
sequence using it's own, on board voices.

Royalty collectors like ASCAP and BMI quickly (and perhaps correctly,
depending on your personal feelings on the subject) started to threaten web
site owners that had midi files of popular music considered to be subject to
copyright protection. Even though it was not technically a recording or
performance by a musician, the fact that someone sequenced a series of
instructions for a midi compatible instrument to reproduce, they claimed
copyright infringement. Original, copyright free compositions are
encouraged of course and often stolen as a basis for new music by
songwriters in the industry.

RCE