SURREAL SOUNDS MUSIC

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THE ROAD FOR LIVE DJ SETS MAY LEAD TO A WALL OF SHAME

During the coronavirus pandemic, artists and virtual events have flocked to streaming sites such as YouTube and Twitch to perform for their fans around the world and raise money for charities. However, over the past day all creators on the Amazon owned platform have started to get issued with DMCA complaints dating back years and effectively preventing them from using the platform moving forward, especially if music is core to their content.

From examining the screenshots of users on social media it appears as though the RIAA (Recording Industry Association America) is the complainant for a majority of the cases and the songs are from many major label artists, some dating back over 3 years ago. Twitch, just like Facebook, Soundcloud and YouTube is legally obligated to perform these takedowns if it wants to be protected under the Safe Harbor provision which prevents a platform from being held liable for copyright infringements by its users.

While it appears as though Twitch has had policy regarding the use of copyrighted music dating back sometime, it’s been very loosely enforced and some users may have been unaware of the policy or even simply ignoring it. Now streamers are being faced with possible account terminations if they don’t delete all their clips which contain music they haven’t created, don’t own or have permission for.

This may sound straightforward, however some games feature licensed music such as GTA, Need For Speed and FIFA. If these instances are also logged, Twitch streamers are not allowed to record clips of standard in game videos due to the music that already exists within the content.

While music copyright is a very serious issue, the timing of the complaints couldn’t have come at a more frustrating moment, artists who have been unable to tour have been heavily embracing the platform and several events are set to broadcast through the platform many of which are also raising money for charities.

Some more famous Twitch users have shared that they have had more than the allowed infringements but their Twitch Partner representatives have told them they’ll be fine. So while those at the top may be able to avoid loosing their accounts all together, many of its smaller users might suffer.

While many streamers are making money from their streams and it could easily be argued that the music they are using is creating a better experience and thus labels have a right to not let them benefit. On the otherside of the coin, it could also be viewed that a popular Twitch streamer using music would help promote an artist’s work. We hope that the platform can find a way to allow streamers to continue using music and perhaps allow labels to monetize the uses of the music much like they can on YouTube.

Twitch’s terms also mention that in the cases of infringement they may mute VODs unlike clips. It appears as though they now have an automated content filtering systems that can detect audio in a VOD which contains unauthorized uses of music. However as many artists know, this system has been problematic with other platforms and artists have had their own music taken down due to labels registering their content.

You can view the rules Twitch has on their site below about what types of music content can be used, and if you do own the rights to the music in the case it is muted, they have an article on How To Appeal Muted Content.

Here are some example types of music content you may not use in Twitch streams or VODs:

* Radio-Style Music Listening Show – A Twitch stream or VOD which focuses on playing music that is not owned by you and is not licensed for you to share on Twitch.

* DJ Set – Playing and/or mixing pre-recorded music tracks which incorporate music, other than music which is owned by you or music which is licensed for you to share on Twitch.

* Karaoke Performance – Singing or performing to a karaoke recording other than an in-game karaoke performance that is licensed for you to share on Twitch, such as a Twitch Sings Performance.

* Lip Synch Performance – Pantomiming, singing, or pretending to sing to music that is not owned by you or is not licensed for you to share on Twitch.

* Visual Music Depiction – Lyrics, music notation, tablature, or any other visual representation of copyrighted music other than music owned by you or music which is licensed for you to share on Twitch, or on-screen lyrics or depictions of music provided by Twitch as part of Twitch Sings gameplay and captured in streams or VODs of your Twitch Sings Performances.

* Cover Song Performance – Performance of a song owned by someone else, with the exception of a live performance in your Twitch stream. If you do perform a cover song in a live Twitch stream, please make a good faith effort to perform the song as written by the songwriter, and create all audio elements yourself, without incorporating instrumental tracks, music recordings, or any other recorded elements owned by others.

SURREAL SOUNDS MONDAYS: “EDDS - Take the Risk [Single] OUT NOW!!!”

Surreal Sounds Monday’s marks 2nd release from our music catalog and to this one, we welcome Brazilian’s forward thinking Producer/DJ & Artist Edmilson Silva p/k/a “EDDS”. The Brazil’s native aimed at sending a very vivid message through this song, just under 4minutes long as the Extended Version - “Take the Risk” is a quick and easy to consume track with a thought-provoking message over hard core Afro House and Afro Techno beats.

Edds made sure you feel the rhythm that’s driving over conventional lyrics. We set down with Ed just to understand where he’s mindset was set when creating this piece.

Katlego:

Welcome aboard Ed

Edds:

First, I say thank you for giving me this opportunity and believing in my music, I loved the style and proposal of Surreal Sounds, it is a pleasure to launch with SS sign, and on a South African label.

Katlego:

It’s an honor to also have you on our platform, so what was the approach when you were making “Take the Risk”?

Edds:

Well, when I started doing "Take The Risk" in mid-November 2019, we could say that the world was still "normal", it is a message as the name says for people to take the risk ... How many opportunities do we miss by not taking chances? However, now is a time for reflection, to think about how we can help others, moreover, this is something that society must self-criticize and help people more, not only in times of crisis. We have to stay at home, all of this will pass and soon we will be able to do some things that we did before, always watching for opportunities and not letting them pass.

Katlego:

That’s actually true, taking risks always pushes your abilities to the next level that’s for sure. Whom did you feature on this track?

Edds:

It is a project entirely created by me, from composition, production, mixing, except the final mastering that I have a colleague who specializes in this and he who masters my tracks.

Katlego:

That’s huge, that’s being creative for sure. How long did take you to complete this track?

Edds:

3 or 4 months maybe, I believe this was the time. Of course, I didn't spend 4 months working with the project every day, but in the moments of inspiration, I completed each part.

Katlego:

In most cases that’s how Producers work, you start a project, work on it for some time, close it then go back at it after some time. It’s more like, fishing for some sort of inspiration then go back at it. So why did you choose to keep the song short?

Edds:

I love long versions, but in this case, the idea was to do something that is practical and remarkable, that can be played on Radio, and also on a DJ set. For this reason, I created the Extended and Radio versions.

Katlego:

That’s amazing, and actually I feel like most House Music producers need to jump on this even on Instrumental tracks cause they help in getting Playlist features and also quick to consume. What are your roots stemmed from musically? your highly preferred or first preference Genre?

Edds:

This is really hard for me to comment, I consider myself a person who absorbs everything that can add knowledge and that I consider good in several musical genres, I am from Brazil, a country that has a wide cultural diversity and this is very good, besides, I am a big fan of the Afro House style precisely because I have many percussions, many rhythms, etc. The genre I most identify with for sure is House Music, due to its ramifications, and where we can build sets with stories.

Katlego:

I can imagine where your coming from, and Brazil too as a country, one wouldn’t think that someone who makes music like you do would come out of Brazil primarily. What are you aiming to attract from people who will listen to “Take the Risk”?

Edds:

I want people to feel the message of the song, connect with my music, and look forward to the next ones to come.

Katlego:

Thanks so much for the lovely words and for your time with us in this interview.

Edds - Take the Risk is our today, find the link for it down below;

Stream/Buy 👇🏽