Hey everyone, new to the forums. I recorded a house mix a little more than a week ago which features some of my favorite tracks from 2014. I tried uploading it to SoundCloud, but it was immediately blocked because the first track, Super8 & Tab ft. Julie Thompson - Let Go (Going Deeper Remix), is copyrighted content. Here's what I've been going through.
Immediately after uploading my mix to SoundCloud, I got an email stating that "Let Go" by Super8 & Tab is owned by Digital Distribution Estonia and that I should get their explicit permission to play the track and then forward the proof of authorization to SoundCloud. The mix was then taken down. I contacted Digital Distribution Estonia and they responded by telling me that they couldn't help me with the licensing, that they "just sell the music just like any other online shop," that "Digital Distribution Estonia is distributed by or is a regional sub-label of Universal Music," and that I should try contacting them.
After filling out an Adaptation Translation Arrangement Request form and sending it to Universal Music, they told me that they do not control the publishing rights to the composition in question, and that I ought to search ASCAP and/or BMI to contact the publishers therein. After some navigation, I found the publisher.
I sent an email to Kobalt Music Publishing explaining that I'd like permission to play one of their tracks in a mix, and that the only amendments made to the tune were slight adjustments in BPM and that some of the track was mixed in with another. I got a response with another form attached and they instructed me to fill it out. I did. I received an email this morning from a kind woman telling me that (1) she received the form, (2) that I filled it out correctly, (3) that it has been verified by their client representative, and (4) that I have to send them my mix which will then be assessed by the client. I'm waiting on verification.
This has been a learning experience for me, but it has also been a long and tedious process. Do any of you have any similar stories to share? How often do you have to deal with copyright infringement charges on SoundCloud? What's your success rate in receiving permission to use a track when such charges came about?
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