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Frequently Asked Questions
What is copyright ?
Copyright gives an author the final say in the use of his compositions and lyrics. He may
grant permission to make his creations public or to reproduce them. For this, he may demand
a remuneration.
What is collective management?
In many cases the exploitation rights of authors are being exercised by so-called collecting
societies, which are organizations that mediate between creators and users on the basis of
government authorisation (exclusive of not). In this case, the authors transfer their rights to
collecting societies of their own free will.
Is it legal to manage your own rights?
Everyone is free to manage his own rights. There is no law or regulation that obliges one to be
a member of a collecting society.
What is the difference with collective management?
Under collective management authors have to transfer all their rights to collecting societies such as BUMA in the Netherlands, SGAE in Spain and ASCAP in the USA. This goes both for existing works and for future works. Not only does it take a long time before you get your remuneration, there are complex distribution codes for getting the money to the right people. If you offer your works on the website of VillaMusicRights you don’t transfer your rights and you will be paid within a few months. Another difference with collective management is that you make your works downloadable. The musical works and the rights are directly connected.
Can I put my music on myspace, blogs, etc.?
That’s no problem. It is though necessary to send business users to VillaMusicRights.
Text suggestion: Downloading is free for home users. Business users may obtain licenses on
payment of remuneration via www.villamusicrights.com.
Why don’t home users pay?
The active consumer always finds a way to download music for free. Furthermore, the cost of handling would be too high. Free and legal downloads are also good for promotion. Commercial users have to pay. They earn money by using other people’s music.
Who are the commercial users?
Every company using music: (internet)radiostations, (internet) televisionstations, small business men, music halls.
Where is the recommended retail price of VillaMusicRights based on?
We know that commercial users are dissatisfied with the amount of money they have to pay to collecting societies. VillaMusicRights will therefore try to enter the market with a retail price
that makes it attractive to acquire the rights to use the works through our website. We advice composers to offer the licenses to their songs quarterly. This means they can raise the price if they notice their songs are getting popular.
When there are two composers or one composer and one lyricist the division of the remuneration should be decided between them. VillaMusicRights is not interfering with this, and transfers the remuneration to a single bank account number, i.e. the one which the author or authors provide us with.
What are the revenues of VillaMusicRights?
VillaMusicRights receives for the cost of displaying, advising and transactions a percentage
of the profits, namely 25% with a minimum of € 0,0625 per song.
Why is VillaMusicRights not involved in neighbouring rights (of performing musicians)
We want to make sure that the copyright aspects are clear to every one using our website.
That is why the activities of VillaMusicRights are limited to one part of this field. When
everything is clear we will expand our field of activities.
Why is the website in only three languages?
VillaMusicRights will limit itself in this phase. Once everything seems to go well we will use
other languages than English, Dutch and Spanish.
Why do authors have to have the full rights?
There’s a risk that composers who make remixes use parts of works exploited by collecting societies. VillaMusicRights will try to avoid complex discussions about payments to third parties- especially at the beginning.
What is the difference with Creative Commons?
Creative Commons is focuses fully on the online area, trying mainly tries to stimulate the legal use of music (and other creative works), but also their free use.
What does VillaMusicRights do in case of illegal use?
As a precaution the songs will be provided with a watermark, a technical marking that will
help tracking. This is by the way a not a security measure. This marking will not protect us from all problems. If music is used illegally (by commercial users), action can be taken. VillaMusicRights will support and advise in this. We also will ask composers and users to report illegal use.
What about tax aspects?
There is different regulation for composers in each country. In some cases they are considered
to be entrepreneurs, which means that this type of regulation is also applicable to composers.
In other countries remuneration for composers is part of income tax law.
What is VillaMusicRights?
VillaMusicRights (VMR) makes it possible for artists who write their own songs to make their music worldwide online available. For home users it is free. Business users pay a fee, on the basis of licenses in which the composers themselves determine the price and the duration of the license.
Why are we doing this?
The world of music copyright is evolving. Monopolies of collecting societies are under pressure. Composers complain about a lack of benefit, users about non-transparent and high tariffs. Why should you as a composer pay a membership fee to such an organization, when you have to fill in a lot of forms and get nothing or little in return? Why should you as a user pay such high tariffs? This can change.
How do we do this?
VMR provides a database on which music authors and lyricists make their works available together with the necessary licences.
VMR plays a role as a facilitator in the contacts between music authors and users. The authors grant home users permission to download these works for free. With commercial users special arrangements are made.
VMR provides advice on licences and rates. Composers and users all have to register in advance.
Composers have to declare and guarantee that they are authorized to exercise copy rights regarding the musical works in question. Users have to declare not to perform or reproduce the musical works for any other use than specified.
Payments between authors and business users are handled by VMR which receives a commission in remuneration of the cost of display, advice and transactions.