just for info
under the current system it is the venue which has to have a ppl and prs licence not the dj - and all venues have it inc supermarkets that play a radio etc. prs and ppl are very active in pursuing this - where do you think paul mccartney gets his money from!
However, allow me to throw a spanner in the works here, and please dont think i'm sticking up for our controvertial friend, any soul night which produces a CD wether given away or otherwise SHOULD have an MCPS licence AND permission from the rights owners. MCPS is the mechanical protection copyright society and if you change the medium of any recording (say from vinyl to CD or even to hard disc) then you need an MCPS licence to cover you for that
Now ive done this in the past and I do have an MCPS licence which I maintain from my radio days, however we are all very good at spouting who's right and who's wrong but in reality when you transfer vinyl to cd or tape or when your soul night makes a CD - how many of us actually walk the talk and pay the royalties?
Basically, anyone without an MCPS licence that has an mp3 file of any recorded work on their pc is a bootlegger. So i guess I am and everyone else on the site including the site itself!
the argument will come back 'well, you aint making money by doing that' - well whilst that is true on the mp3 hard disc thing, it is still just as illegal in the law as selling them. It could also be argued that you are mnaking money because you havent had to pay for the track or for the rights to have it on your pc - is saving money not the same as not spending it? and as for gain on a freebie cd - well making a cd to get more in your club this week constitutes a gain from the door money - a financial gain indirectly.
Just to throw one atcha and re-ignite the debate!