A while back i complained to privacy about APRA rights organisation for music artists in Australia for giving an email i wrote them 10 years ago to EMI music publishing. EMI music publishing then provided the mail to another company in the US, who then provided the mail to ASCAP, as evidence of a co-write. Yet i never co-wrote any song, with any artist, nor signed any document to say i did.
Anyway, privacy Australia got back to me a year latter, to let me know that it was legal for that email to be used against me, as a non-member. The thing i wonder now is, if i have made APRA aware that i don’t want my information used that way, can they continue to use the information as they have. The decision of privacy Australia means that some of my tittles will remain under control of EMI music publishing from EMI’s point of veiw, producers are claiming they had a hand in writting the songs. Its a silly situation, its like the plumbers of your home telling you who can use your toilet.
Copyright laws are totally dis-functional in a world with the net and a computer, changes in technology make the publishing and recording industries re-dundent. For sure artist’s need to be advised of the potential dangers/consequences of assigning their rights to an exclusive contract. Especially with such co-ruption in the way the exclusive rights of an artist not with a publisher are managed.
The actual email is not really of any consequence, as APRA don’t issue rights to copyright. Although the chairman of the board of APRA, who is also the head of EMI music publishing is braking laws to make my situation difficult.
