Copyright FAQ How the law affects you.

I'm getting married and I'd like the DJ to record a CD of our wedding music that we can give to our guests.

If the music you seek is a commercially available copyrighted work we cannot record or copy those selections for you without the express written consent of the copyright holder(s). You are perfectly within the law to have any music selections played or performed at your event, however we will not record and distribute the program we present.

If you have an original or personal work we can produce copies of that material for you to use or distribute to your guests. Non copyrighted works, or works for which you have obtained the appropriate copyright clearance can also be duplicated.

If you own a copyrighted work which is no longer commercially available, and is contained in an obsolete format (78 rpm, 8 track, etc.) we can for the sole purpose of performing that work at your private event transfer the selection to a DJ friendly format. There is no fee for this service, provided only at our prudent convenience, and only to make possible performance of the work by one of our DJs at your event.* 

I'm having a friend sing at my wedding. Do you have a karaoke version of the song we can make an instrumental copy from?

Karaoke discs are copyrighted works and we do not make duplicates or copies. We can provide complete karaoke service, or simply play an instrumental of the song you require as part of our DJ performance. We do not however, provide singers or others with copies of instrumental music derived from karaoke discs.

Our company is holding it's annual sales meeting. Can you make us an edited copy of a song we've chosen for the grand opening?

Our DJs can edit most musical selections to conform to your particular needs. The edit is part of our DJ service however, and we do not provided copies of that performance or other commercially available copyrighted music.

Note that if your company event is not a closed meeting, but rather a public sales or recruitment effort, you may be required to obtain copyright clearance and be subject to royalty fees for any copyrighted music performed. This includes any music used in live or recorded video and computer presentations.

I'm an aerobics instructor. How can I get a mixed tape made of songs I'd like to use for my exercise classes?

We do not produce mixed tapes or other recordings for instructional use. If you're a non-commercial instructor, employed by a qualifying educational institutional as part of complete academic instruction program,  you may be able to use such recordings under the terms of educational fair use. We cannot however provide you with your source material, and we do not create, copy, or distribute this type of musical program.

Commercial and educational instructor's can obtain this type of recording by contacting a legitimate music subscription service specializing in aerobic or exercise instruction.

For more information about copyright issues, or to report serious infringement you can contact the Recording Industry Association of America at their web site below.

Regional Anti-Piracy Counsel, RIAA
Tel: (800) 223-2328

*Transfer of music material should not be considered an inducement for, or condition of our engagement. This service is performed only for clients with a confirmed contract for our DJ service however we do not guarantee that we will provide the time or resources necessary to complete the transfer. We do not transfer material already commercially available in a suitable format;  or for purposes other than,  the designated performance.

Article: Muddy Thinking on Copyrights

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Proformance maintains multiple music libraries comprised of original compact discs and only authorized professional original monthly music subscriptions. We're committed to providing you a safe, fair, and conscientious disc jockey service while also providing the best in digital audio quality.