[industri_studios]

Re: Clubs

There is a license fee that clubs are supposed to be paying (much like a radio station) that gives them rights to broadcast the music. Obviously some (many?) clubs don't pay, or don't pay properly... but I think most labels turn a blind eye as it's free promotion (of a sort).

Re:" ...if they don't , it could mean that every free cd, or item
in the mail has to be returned, or you have to pay for it,
even if you didn't want it etc."

you can't honestly believe this.

I doubt negative1 BELIEVES that - but if the ruling were to follow through (as implied by Universal), then it would TECHNICALLY mean they could ask people to return, pay etc. It would open a BIG can of worms that I think most music collectors (ironically - the same people propping up what's left of the crumbling physical disc sales market) would rather see left closed.

And the comment about unsolicited is true. When I used to do radio and magazine reviews and stuff - I would request some promos and such, but I'd also be sent a bunch of discs without asking for them... people would find out from other labels, or published mags etc that I was covering a particular kind of music and send me stuff - technically I'd be liable for every crappy promo I never wanted (that has since gone the way of the charity-shop bins - no one wants crappy indie promos) that happened to have been properly labelled.

It's laughable.

And I think the fact that this case has been going on for a while, and no other label has jumped on the same bandwagon should be making Universal a little nervous at this stage...