I always thought of YouTube as a great place for musicians to share ideas about how to play songs. But sadly, companies like Cass County Music are taking action against people who post covers of the songs they own. Most YouTubers have no intention or desire to make money off of their work. We just support a system where you give a little back for all you have learned. I even post requests for the people to buy the song so they can understand how it is played.
Section 107 of the US Copyright law contains a list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Section 107 also sets out four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:
1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
2. The nature of the copyrighted work
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work
www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html
I always thought of my videos as nonprofit educational purposes.
I had to delete all the Eagles covers due to threats from Cass County Music.
Oh well. It was fun while it lasted.