Holy **** - TAB Sites shut down!!!!

[Jimi75]

I wondered why olga.net has been shut down....maybe below written is the reason:
( something I found in on another forum ) What do you think about this development? I personally understood the napster case, but music tablature????? Hell, it felt like heaven and brought my playing forward...

"The Internet put the music industry and many of its listeners at odds, thanks to the popularity of services like Napster and Grokster. Now the industry is squaring off against a surprising new opponent: musicians.

In the last few months, trade groups representing music publishers have used the threat of copyright lawsuits to shut down guitar tablature sites, where users exchange tips on how to play songs like "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," "Highway to Hell" and thousands of others.

The battle shares many similarities with the war between Napster and the music-recording industry, but this time it involves free sites like Olga, GuitarTabs.com and MyGuitarTabs.com, and even discussion boards on the Google Groups service like alt.guitar.tab and rec.music.makers.guitar.tablature, where amateur musicians trade "tabs"--music notation especially for guitar--for songs they have figured out or have copied from music books.

On the other side are music publishers like Sony/ATV, which holds the rights to the songs of John Mayer, and EMI, which publishes Christina Aguilera's music.

"People can get it for free on the Internet, and it's hurting the songwriters," said Lauren Keiser, who is president of the Music Publishers' Association and chief executive of Carl Fischer, a music publisher in New York."

[t_ross33]

This has been brewing for some time. Odd, since posting Tab online was one of the first internet "community" activities.

I understand the case against online music sharing though to be honest I have and do download when the mood strikes. I use it more to search out and find new music. I will go out an buy stuff that I like and support those record companies, er... I mean artists. Lately I've been more prone to supporting local independent artists. The quality of musicianship and songwriting is far above anything on the radio right now.

But most Tab posted is the writer's own interpretation of the song - how often have you had to sift through dozens of crappy tabs before you find one that's remotely close to the tune you're trying to learn? Even lyrics are often wrong (i.e. that great AC/DC song, "Dirty Jeans and the Thunder Cheif" - show us that one Robert )

What's next? A ban on cover bands? Surcharges on musical instruments because they might be used to play someone else's music? Pay to play slots on amplifiers? TOTAL CRAP!

I could rant on, but I'll leave room for some others to comment. I won't even go into the whole art-for-art's-sake argument at this point.

*fume*

[Cranium]

Well most tab times closed some months ago, thats pretty old news actualy, and it sucks.

I actualy have a folder that has 22,000 tabs in it (or so it sais ), someone must have collected the tabs or something, they are all in Guitar Pro, if you guys want I can upload them for you somewhere.

[abraxas]

Well most tab times closed some months ago, thats pretty old news actualy, and it sucks.

I actualy have a folder that has 22,000 tabs in it (or so it sais ), someone must have collected the tabs or something, they are all in Guitar Pro, if you guys want I can upload them for you somewhere.

I have dl this one too... and I'm glad I did...

If you ask me, the reasoning behind closing those sites is a lot of BS.

The songwriters are not hurt in any way at all... those who would want to buy the official books would do so anyway...

[Cranium]

Yeah but its not about the songwriters being hurt or that it bothers anyone, its about "closing down the sites".

[tiefnig]

Christina Aguilera makes crap music and she doesn't even write her own songs and if she does the meaning of them is stupid -.-
The artists and the companys have enough money.

[ted s]

The power tabs site is still up, what goes on ?

[Myles]

I must say that this is an incredibly odd move and while I don't think they have a case one must remember that napster was completely in accordance with the law and simply got shut down not because they were guilty, but instead because they couldn't afford to stay in court anymore.

I honestly believe this is the result of an employee or division trying to get a promotion in their company. It smacks of corporate non-sense and I can't see any artist caring about tab sites.

Interestingly enough, do you guys think this will result in tabs, like music, being sold by companies now for a small fee?

[t_ross33]

Interestingly enough, do you guys think this will result in tabs, like music, being sold by companies now for a small fee?

I can't see that a venture like that would be THAT profitable. I'm sure the guitar-playing community is quite a bit smaller than the music-consumer community. How much $$ do they figure they are losing now? Really, in the grand scheme of things I can't see that it'd be that significant.

This just smacks of vindictiveness and backlash.

[tremoloman***]

So much for freedom of speech...

If I give someone directions to Wal*Mart, do I need to pay royalities to Mapquest becuase I'm taking away market share? What the hell is this world coming to?

[Jampy]

I use

http://www.e-chords.com/

I have been a paying member for almost a year now and enjoy the site and what they offer.

Sadly, I almost never play covers on a regular basis so it is nice to have the resource for when the mood strikes.

It is still up and running, may have to do with the "paying" member portion who knows, I pay simply to avoid pop-ups and to get all the features it has to offer.

[Spudman***]

I remember this going on quite a while ago and then I see tab sites in operation regardless. I say screw the industry. It's just about money to them. How much does an artist actually get from having their tabs published? Anyone know the figure?

We need a revolution. The whole music industry has just gone wrong and it all seems to stem from their greed, not artist need.

In the future they'll probably stop free concerts and we wont even be able to watch someone play somebody else's song.

Oh, now my blood is boiling. Who got me started?

Support your artists and revolt against the machine. Revolution!

[Tim]

If you stop and think about it, it does not make sense. If a new budding artist finds an old favorite tab on the internet and then records their rendition of the song and it becomes popular, then the original author of the song makes more money though the Copy Right Act. I for one would want my music out their for the world to see.

Just my thoughts!

[Bloozcat]

I think it's far more sinister than the industry just trying to protect their artists' material. I mean really, since when did the recording music industry start caring about "their musicians"?

What this is really about, is the recording music industry trying to control what the public listens to, and in this case, plays on instruments. The industry does not like it that we are downloading the music we want to play, rather than coming to them for it like serfs to the king. They don't want to discuss the fact that they as an industry are out of touch with what a substantial portion of the public would like to listen to and to play. And if we are somehow forced to have to turn to the industry for our needs, we will all be SOL - because the industry will only provide what they want us to listen to and play.

All one has to do is to look at what's on the radio airwaves today. The state of commercial music has never been worse, and it was never Napster or any of the other online music sharing sites that has caused it to get this way. It's the failure of the industry to market a product that the public wants to buy. Add to this the recording industry attacks that have been waged against the online music sites like Live365 and such, that actually give people a choice of the music they can listen to. Again, the attackers claim to have the "artists" interests at heart, when for many of the artists this is the only exposure they can get for their music...thanks to the out of touch recording music industry. All the great music and artists that came out of the 60's & 70's would never have gotten a second of exposure if the clown princes of the recording music industry of today, had been in charge back then.

This is not about protecting anybody except the myopic recording music industry executives. And it's darn sure not beneficial to the public. It's about monoply and protectionism by the recording music industry. I'm not by any means anti-capitalist, or anti-corporate. There are many well run corporations that provide services and products that enrich the lives of their customers. The recording music industry of today isn't one of them.

[zeusse]

As much as tabs can make life easier to learn something quicker does the world really need them....Not that I have anything against them but I've never used them I enjoy learning stuff on my own not all tabs are 100% correct anyways its an interpretation of the artists lick..unless he's the one who wrote the tabs or has endorsed their correctness...just think of the money you can save doing it yourself...and the excutives might have to scale down that Ferrari purchase to a Honda.....just my 1.8cents worth with exchange rate

[kerc]

I think it's far more sinister than the industry just trying to protect their artists' material. I mean really, since when did the recording music industry start caring about "their musicians"?

What this is really about, is the recording music industry trying to control what the public listens to, and in this case, plays on instruments. The industry does not like it that we are downloading the music we want to play, rather than coming to them for it like serfs to the king. They don't want to discuss the fact that they as an industry are out of touch with what a substantial portion of the public would like to listen to and to play. And if we are somehow forced to have to turn to the industry for our needs, we will all be SOL - because the industry will only provide what they want us to listen to and play.

All one has to do is to look at what's on the radio airwaves today. The state of commercial music has never been worse, and it was never Napster or any of the other online music sharing sites that has caused it to get this way. It's the failure of the industry to market a product that the public wants to buy. Add to this the recording industry attacks that have been waged against the online music sites like Live365 and such, that actually give people a choice of the music they can listen to. Again, the attackers claim to have the "artists" interests at heart, when for many of the artists this is the only exposure they can get for their music...thanks to the out of touch recording music industry. All the great music and artists that came out of the 60's & 70's would never have gotten a second of exposure if the clown princes of the recording music industry of today, had been in charge back then.

This is not about protecting anybody except the myopic recording music industry executives. And it's darn sure not beneficial to the public. It's about monoply and protectionism by the recording music industry. I'm not by any means anti-capitalist, or anti-corporate. There are many well run corporations that provide services and products that enrich the lives of their customers. The recording music industry of today isn't one of them.

Excellent post!!!

[Plank_Spanker]

Another spasm in the death throes of a dying dinosaur industry. Going after tab sites is really reaching. Tabs are interpretations, not note for note piracy of material!

The music industry missed the internet train, so now they're trying to derail it. They were smug and content to continue raping their consumers and performers with shoddy, cookie cutter products and ever increasing prices. Now, they're reaping what they have sown. Unfortunately, the wounded beast is lashing out - at the very same group of people that it so desperately needs to stay alive....................

[Spudman***]

Another spasm in the death throes of a dying dinosaur industry. Going after tab sites is really reaching. Tabs are interpretations, not note for note piracy of material!

The music industry missed the internet train, so now they're trying to derail it. They were smug and content to continue raping their consumers and performers with shoddy, cookie cutter products and ever increasing prices. Now, they're reaping what they have sown. Unfortunately, the wounded beast is lashing out - at the very same group of people that it so desperately needs to stay alive....................

Well put. Dinosaur is an apt description. The asteroid has hit and now they are in their death huddle. It will be so great for artists when the New World emerges.

[sunvalleylaw]

Another spasm in the death throes of a dying dinosaur industry. Going after tab sites is really reaching. Tabs are interpretations, not note for note piracy of material!

Yes, interpretations only and they are not always "correct" Ridiculous to pursue and threaten tab sites. : I saw a program the other day focused on news and the distribution of news discussing how in radio, newspaper and TV it is controlled by a very few interests. Think Murdock. The internet is still more or less uncontrolled, but that is partly because access has been through phones, not cable or something more central where access can be controlled. I have no doubt media industries are trying to figure out how to dupe people into being controlled there too. Gatekeeping access through points that must be paid for could be one road they might try, according to this program I was watching.