Open Content Music Database Launched

An anonymous reader writes "The open source music database MusicBrainz was launched officially today. The data is partly in the public domain, partly under an open content like license. It includes artist/album/track information, with more to come. There's support for CDDB-like CD identification (actually, a lot of the current data was imported from freedb), but also identification of single tracks via audio fingerprints (TRMs). Help both in adding new content by tagging your music collection and consolidating the existing data is welcome. Also check out some technical information on the XML database at IBM developerWorks."

What will the RIAA think?!?

[trotski]

I wonder if this is with or without the support of our friends at the RIAA. I mean after all, the data being stored may violate copyright laws... a list of songs on a CD, maybe some sample lyrics, all without the approval of the goons in the RIAA.

It's probably a non issue, then again the RIAA has a record of making big issues out of non-issues. It will be interesting to see if anything will happen.

Imagine an all-legal file sharing P2P network...

[lightspawn]

A system that doesn't allow anonymous (unsigned) files to be shared... enforcing user accountability and ensuring all content is in fact freely redistributable (if not, you know who to go after, and you may be able to revoke the user's account, making all files signed by him unshareable)

The RIAA _claim_ sharing their content hurts the bottom line, but imagine the damage caused when people learn they can find their own legal music and don't have to settle on RIAA-dictated tastes.

Re:For the lazy people..

[jojopop]

Well in general nothing. One of the advantages MusicBrainz has is that uses RDF (so called "XML Database described by the original poster).

When are people going to understand the RDF is not XML!

Re:Can you protect a scan?

[Jondor]

While I'm not a lawer and certainly not one specialiced in american copyrights, I'm quite certain that over here (the Netherlands) there are different kinds of things that can be copyrighted among which a collection. And given that copyright laws have a tendency to converge..

Concreet example, While i'm allowed to call everybody personal and ask them for their phonenumber and other info. Compile them in a handy index and publish it as telephone reference. I'm NOT allowed to take a shortcut and copy all this info from a phonebook.

Amazon may not have the copyrights on the artwork for cd covers, they probably do have a right on the collection in their database and can prohibit redistribution. Given that this is america it wouldn't supprice me if they licensenced the artwork themself.

Anyhow, in general it's my understanding that the right to use content on a public network doesn't imply the right to redistribute.