Re: [Harp-L] SPAH improvement ideas

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

I discussed the seminar video idea in another post.

Making and selling audio or video recordings of SPAH performances is a attractive idea, but is not without some difficulties.

SPAH used to make and sell VHS videos of concert performances until a former board member ensnared SPAH in a frivolous and costly nuisance lawsuit over ownership of those videos that caused a lot of financial damage. SPAH has recovered nicely, but other problems exist.

First is copyright issues. Performers own the copyrights to their performances, and their permissions must be secured. They may not feel that this was their best performance, or they may feel that a SPAH product may compete with their own recordings. Or they may be fine with it.

But then you face the underlying copyright issues for compositions. This is not as easy or economical as licensing a song for a CD, where you just go to the Harry Fox Agency and pay a set fee for X number of copies. Anything with moving images is a *Motion**Picture.* Laughable as that may seem for a nonprofit concert performance, every use of a copyright composition is treated as if you're making the next Spider Man - lawyers, individual negotiations, high fees - it gets complex and very expensive almost immediately.

And that's before you even get to the practical stuff of capturing a good recording (people, equipment, money) and editing and mastering it, etc.

Another issue is the fact that folks armed with smartphones will very likely put up the same content on youTube for free and with no regard to anyone's intellectual property rights. Quality may not be that great, but it'll be out there.

Where I can see this working on an intellectual property level is releasing audio recordings of original material by the performers, whether over the web or on physical media.

Collaborating with artists to help promote their products is an area where I can see SPAH adding value both for artists and for members.

Again, thanks for the ideas. Please don't be shy about expressing them. I may come back with the practical considerations, but that's my job.
 
Winslow Yerxa
SPAH presidential candidate
Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
Harmonica instructor, The Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance
Resident expert, bluesharmonica.com
Columnist, harmonicasessions.com


________________________________
 From: Bruce K Ritter <Ritterbk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2011 4:11 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] SPAH improvement ideas
 
I have to agree about SPAH not having value to me.  We are trying to do the
Dave Ramsey thing, and we both get a whopping $50 a month for fun money.
That means a SPAH membership, when I know I won't be able to attend, is a
12th of my yearly fun money for a quarterly magazine.  I'd like to see much
more value.  I like the idea of the website having recordings of the
seminars.  Most of my fun money either goes to harps or harp instruction.
If SPAH had videos, a few general for free, and many specific for paid
members only, I would be more interested in joining.  Also, the mentions of
CD's and DVD's from the conventions, I'd say sell them and make them half
price for members.  That, too would offer me value.