Fraud "photography" caught using stolen images for portfolio!

[AliciaTTF]

Originally Posted by TopHatMoments

Does that mean all housewives with a camera? Or just the ones that use picnik?

the ones who do zero research, don't even TRY to learn the business side. they just pick up a camera, put it on auto and snap snap snap

[rgrebby]

This is such an amazing way for alex michéle to get great publicity! Genius!!

[kona77]

I am sure this happens more often than we realize.

I would also like to take the opportunity to comment on the atrocious lighting and camera work by WTVR. What a pathetic attempt. In one interview it looks like they lit the subject by the fireplace with headlights from a car in the driveway.

[Ernst-Ulrich Schafer]

Just heard on another board (PPA) that Alex herself has been using copyrighted music on her website with out permission. She has taken the music down now.

[MJPhotos24]

Originally Posted by Ernst-Ulrich Schafer

Just heard on another board (PPA) that Alex herself has been using copyrighted music on her website with out permission. She has taken the music down now.

Do you know how many times on THIS site I've seen people complaining about people stealing their work only to go to their site and hear the latest Coldplay or some other big musician/band playing unlicensed? The answer is a LOT!! Hypocrisy at it's best, they steal the music but don't want anyone stealing their photography.

[RDKirk]

Originally Posted by MJPhotos24

Do you know how many times on THIS site I've seen people complaining about people stealing their work only to go to their site and hear the latest Coldplay or some other big musician/band playing unlicensed? The answer is a LOT!! Hypocrisy at it's best, they steal the music but don't want anyone stealing their photography.

Even on this forum they will come out with the torches and pitchforks if told they can't steal someone else's music for their websites and slide shows.

[JeffreyG]

Originally Posted by RDKirk

Even on this forum they will come out with the torches and pitchforks if told they can't steal someone else's music for their websites and slide shows.

Taking us off topic just a bit.

Do you guys know if most bands will sell versions of music that can be used on commecial websites? Is there like, some kind of 'Muzak' source for commercial background music?

Or do you have to pretty much know somebody in the industry?

I'm just wondering if I can assume that any common and popular music I hear on XYZ website is ripped off or not.

[MJPhotos24]

Originally Posted by JeffreyG

Taking us off topic just a bit.

Do you guys know if most bands will sell versions of music that can be used on commecial websites? Is there like, some kind of 'Muzak' source for commercial background music?

Or do you have to pretty much know somebody in the industry?

I'm just wondering if I can assume that any common and popular music I hear on XYZ website is ripped off or not.

You can license the song and pretty cheap in some cases from their PRO (Performing Rights Organization) like ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, other smaller ones to that are usually a sub-division of one of them. It's pretty easy to start your own publishing company and start representing bands you work with if you're in the industry.

There are some players out there that you can legally install on your site as long as you don't alter the player and violate their terms (some are for personal sites only, not commercial). Most however don't even bother looking to see and just steal the song like people steal images. There's some companies that license the background music pretty simple, others that original artists can upload their stuff cheap - all original.

I'd assume all popular songs on a photographers site is stolen personally, never found a one that actually licensed the music for their site and they run away when called out on it. Though I'm sure some do, it seems a vast majority do not.

[RDKirk]

Originally Posted by JeffreyG

Taking us off topic just a bit.

Do you guys know if most bands will sell versions of music that can be used on commecial websites? Is there like, some kind of 'Muzak' source for commercial background music?

Or do you have to pretty much know somebody in the industry?

I'm just wondering if I can assume that any common and popular music I hear on XYZ website is ripped off or not.

Go to BMI.com or ASCAP.com--they both offer licenses that allow you to use anything in their catalogs on your website for about $350 a year--which is quite reasonable for professional business use. You can actually do it all online at the BMI.com site.

This is for website use only--not use on a CD. That's an entirely different affair called a "synchronization license" which is usually exceedingly expensive--like $20,000 per song (twenty thousand dollars). That's based on the fact that once they give you a sync license, they have no idea how many copies you're going to make that will cut into their own sales--so they presume the worst.

You can figure that photographers who actually do or who are big enough that they might do business with record industry people (or their friends) will have carefully licensed their sites. Most tom, dicks, and harrys playing popular music probably have not.

However, you may well be able to strike deals with local musicians and bands to use their own work. Be aware, though, that a local musician can give you permission only for his performance, but not the music (if it's copyrighted). You would still have to get permission for the music as well.

(As a trivial tidbit, that's why all those old Warner Brothers cartoons used so much classical music as backgrounds--the classical music scores are in public domain and the studio already had the musicians on contract.)

You can also check the web for "garage music" sites, find something you like, and contact the author to use his work on your website. Many of them will allow it for no more than credit or a link to their sites.