A new policy directed from BBC’s law department to program makers, producers and broadcasters affects two of bass music’s biggest acts Chase & Status and Skrillex… To the point they are named on the policy.
This story is a much wider one that affects all genres of music and it’s down to a copyright issue with all recorded material by The Doors, Journey, Neil Young and Bonnie Raitt and cover versions or samples thereof.
Each of these acts have pulled out of an agreement with the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) which means the BBC are effectively breaching copyright when they’re playing any aspect of their material. As published in an article by The Guardian on Thursday July 9, the policy includes these new rules for broadcasting:
You can NOT use tracks by these composers on the radio and/or online.
You can NOT use tracks by these composers whether they are originals or covers.
You can NOT use the lyrics.
You can NOT put performances using these compositions on line.
You can NOT use tracks which include samples of these compositions e.g. Tracks by Skrillex/Chase & Status
You can NOT use clips which include any compositions by these composers
The ban has arisen through a new offline listening function that the BBC is set to launch and will require MCPS rights. This will directly affect two big tracks by Skrillex and Chase & Status.
Skrillex & The Doors – Breakn A Sweat will obviously come under the blanket ban because it’s written with surviving members of The Doors, but also because it samples Light My Fire.
Chase & Status’s Hypest Hype with Tempa T will also no longer be heard on any of the BBC platforms due to its heavy celebration of The Doors’ 1971 track Been Down So Long.
Other tracks that have sampled The Doors include a 2009 cover of Riders On The Storm by psy-trance-turned-bass-heads Infected Mushroom, J Dilla’s Five To One-sampling We F’ed Up, and this powerful slab of hardcore UK rave from 1991 (blink and you’ll miss it; it’s a pitched up spoken word sample around the 1.40 mark)…
As for the other three acts who are not in agreement with MCPS and can’t be played by the BBC, removal of their content doesn’t directly affect electronic music. That said, fans of Journey’s cheesy feel-good sing-along (relatively) recently championed by Glee may be upset… As will, potentially, many hip-hop fans. Journey have been sampled by MF Doom, Lil’ Wayne, Cam’ron and many more.
H/T: Line Of Best Fit
Source: The Guardian
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