JPF Home Page Forums Lyric and MP3 Feedback Lyric Feedback Forum 3 "Remembering" ( Kaley, Lynn, Sub (Mike) Collaboration)

Dear folks one and all...

I have watched this process on both forums and while I do NOT want to curb anyone's enthusiasm or creativity....what I am seeing seems as though it is heading down a slippery slope. We creative types are often inspired by someone else's material..whether we are lyricists or composers. I don't want to come off sounding critical here...merely bringing up what seems to be an etiquette issue...and quite possibly a copyright one that needs to be dealt with openly on these forums.

When someone posts a lyric...or a musical composition on here...that immediately becomes a copyrighted work. IMO, it is therefore a matter of some significant importance that no one take liberties to write either a lyric or music to someone else's material without EXPRESS approval from the person who originally posted it. This has happened to several of us here over the years and in some cases it has brought along a lot of hard feelings and trauma on both sides of the fence.

I know this has happened to Kaley in the past...and it has certainly happened to me. What happens when someone writes something and then posts it openly is that it puts the original writer in the position of having to come off as hard nosed if they DON'T care for the other people's product. Things like this really need to be dealt with off the board to prevent at least SOME of this from happening.

For example..in one case someone had asked if I minded if he try putting music to one of my lyrics...no expectations involved. However...what actually transpired was that this individual posted his composition without my approval and permission and then proceeded to take on the task of (also without my permission nor involvement) rewrite my lyric to fit his music. That is simply unacceptable. But I ended up having to be the one to call a halt to that process.

In this case...it seems as though both Lynn and Sub have only the best of intentions...but from the comments posted, seem to be leaving Kaley out of the process at this point, which is not (at least in my opinion) ethical and may well be illegal. I know Kaley well enough to know that she hates to have to tell people anything negative...even when she thinks or feels it...so by posting this openly and working on it to your satisfaction without her involvement...I can only imagine how it makes her feel.

The fact that both of you have expressed an uneasy sense about the way this transpired speaks volumes. When things get to this point...you really DO need to take it off line and work directly with the composer to HER satisfaction. I think any of us would expect the same consideration.

As a lyricist...I also feel compelled to say that for me...the lyrics do not have enough meat, not enough substance. They seem to be stating the same thing over and over again in just slightly different ways. Sub's vocals are indeed lovely...but they would be moreso with stronger lyrics.

In all respect for everyone involved...I apologize if I have stepped on anyone's toes...but this is family here..and we need to be able to express our concerns as well as our kudos.

Hugs and Holiday Blessings,
Bobbie