Music downloads: from my LPs to my PC or MP3 player

[nextwife]

What is the name of your state? WI

Wondering about legality: if I digitalize music I long ago bought and paid for that is either on vinyl records, cassettes or older, non-encoded CDs, are there ANY limits to how many of my own music players or PCs I copy them? I know how to do so and how to clean up the pop and hiss..

Is there any issue of legality in transferring the music from albums I bought to a device better capable of playing the music, so that I can avoid needing a turntable to hear it??

 

[divgradcurl]

What is the name of your state? WI

Wondering about legality: if I digitalize music I long ago bought and paid for that is either on vinyl records, cassettes or older, non-encoded CDs, are there ANY limits to how many of my own music players or PCs I copy them? I know how to do so and how to clean up the pop and hiss..

Is there any issue of legality in transferring the music from albums I bought to a device better capable of playing the music, so that I can avoid needing a turntable to hear it??

Not illegal. See, for example, RIAA v. Diamond, http://legalpad.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/06/end_the_bingham.html

This case basically held that computer hard drives, and portable digital audio devices (the Rio in this case, but the iPod would be another) are not "digital recording devices" under the Audio Home
Recording Act of 1992, and it is therefore legal to "space-shift" music too and from a hard drive or digital audio device.

From the case, "[t]he [Audio Home Recording] Act does not broadly prohibit digital serial copying of copyright protected audio recordings.
Instead, the Act places restrictions only upon a specific type of recording device."

The only restriction is the usual restrictions on reproduction and distribution -- you cannot make copies of CDs or whatever and give them to friends, or sell them, but you can make and keep your own copies, and make as many MP3 copies as you want, so long as you don't distribute them. Sharing MP3 files over the internet without permission is, of course, not lawful; further, storing your MP3's on a server that allows you to remotely listen to them via the internet is also not lawful (see RIAA v. MyMP3.com, for example). But making MP3's and copying them to your harddrive, even for multiple computers you own, along with as many iPods you might have, is completely legal.

 

[Happy Trails]

But making MP3's and copying them to your harddrive, even for multiple computers you own, along with as many iPods you might have, is completely legal.

What if a person wanted to sell their pc, MP3, Ipod... later?

Would those songs need to be deleted?

 

[divgradcurl]

Legally speaking, yes, unless you transferred or destroyed ALL other copies of the MP3's AND transferred ownership of the original media (the LP, CD or tape) along with the computer or iPod.

You can make all of the copies you want, but ownership of the original media and all of its copies must remain together.

 

[Happy Trails]

Legally speaking, yes, unless you transferred or destroyed ALL other copies of the MP3's AND transferred ownership of the original media (the LP, CD or tape) along with the computer or iPod.

You can make all of the copies you want, but ownership of the original media and all of its copies must remain together.

Thank you, that was educational.