Hello all,
I should start by saying that I usually post in the live sound forum, and this is my first foray into REP.
I've done a token search on this topic, but haven't found much. Please let me know if this is not an appropriate question for this forum.
I'm a live sound guy who does some recording on the side. I mainly produce recordings of jazz recitals conducted at a music college here in Denton. I started doing it mainly to meet new people, and it has taken off somewhat.
Looking back on my archives I find that I have amassed quite a nice collection of great jazz performances. If I do this for a couple more years I'm sure that I'll have a nice volume of work.
I would like for some of this work to be made public (on a local level for starters), but I am unsure of the legal/ethical/business issues that might arise from copying, marketing, and selling material without agreements from the performers. You see, I have never had any sort of written contract with my clients, and I do not know if I could get in touch with many of them.
If I own the original recording, do I have a right to copy and sell it? What rights do the performers have to collect royalties? Am I way off base even considering something like this?
Thanks for any and all constructive replies.
-TH