Music Copyright Laws: Challenges Facing Producers in Haiti - Essay Sample

Introduction

Music copyright is the legal right granted to the composer, publisher, and any form of publication of music. There is a copyright law that guides and protects the rights of the producer of the music. The copyright law gives the owners of the music the right to make, sell, and distribute the music that one has produced in any form. The first person to produce music owns the copyright of the music. Music producers in Haiti have been facing challenges on the copyright of the music they produce because of law challenges. There is no copyright law in Haiti that protects music producers; hence the producers are unable to make money from the music they produce.

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There are resources that are earned from music sales; hence the copyright protects the rights of producers to be the sole seller of the music. Lack of copyright law in Haiti leaves the music producers vulnerable where other people sell the music without the knowledge of the producers and musicians. The music producers end up making losses because they don't get any returns for the music that they incurred resources to produce. Music Producers in Haiti are exploited by third parties who sell and benefit from the music they have not produced.

The copyright law is supposed to protect the rights of producers, where there is no copyright law; it's challenging to take any legal action against anyone selling your music. Copyright challenges in Haiti have brought challenges in the music industry, where musicians and music producers do not get any returns for the music they produce. Copyright law needs to be enacted to protect music producers in Haiti.

The Haitian law does not protect the copyrights for music which makes it hard for musicians to earn money from their recorded music. The musicians invest a lot in the production of the music yet they cannot sustain their living through the same music. Turnier for example cannot provide secure financial support through the music and it is even sad when he thinks of quitting. The information in the podcast has changed my view of free or low cost music. Today, one can easily access music for free through platforms such as YouTube and other pirated sites which means that the musicians get nothing for the work that they have produced.

The free and low cost access to music demotivates the artists who work day and night to produce music. Consumers are happy when they can access music for free but what they do not know is that the artists need finance to keep on producing music. They also need to provide for their families and just like you want income for your daily job so does the artists expect to reap the benefits of their music. This podcast as changed my perspective by making me understand the negative impact of the free music I access.

To motivate artists the government should create a copyright law that gives the musicians exclusive right to produce, sell, distribute as well as publicly display their actions. The government should take legal actions to any person found infringing on copyright. They should pay affine of huge amount of money which will discourage them from reproducing and redistributing the music. Additionally, the consumers should also be encouraged to support artists by purchasing music from credible sources.

Bibliography

Coss, Ian. 2018. "Gift and Curse of Music - Haiti's Fight for Copyright". Life of the Law. https://www.lifeofthelaw.org/2017/09/music-copyright/https://www.lifeofthelaw.org/2017/09/music-copyright/.

Thacker, Stephen. 2017. "Afropop Worldwide | Haiti's Fight For Copyright". Afropop Worldwide. https://afropop.org/audio-programs/haitis-fight-for-copyright-1.