Is it illegal to download free remixes?

[Gxcad]

Wondering about the legality of downloading and keeping freely distributed remixes of tracks where the original costs money. I assume its technically illegal but am not totally sure, since so many remixes of songs exist out there AND often are sold on the market.

[ces]

Wondering about the legality of downloading and keeping freely distributed remixes of tracks where the original costs money. I assume its technically illegal but am not totally sure, since so many remixes of songs exist out there AND often are sold on the market.

They are called derivative works. Someone owns the underlying rights and you need their permission to do anything with it, for profit, for free or anything - downloading, uploading, sideloading or whatever.

[colm]

not illegal..

displaying it as your own work for your projects is a problem however. I still get the notices on you tube.. no song says what it is or what the rights are until you find out the hard way.

remember tape deck days recording local radio songs.. it is still like that today, but with a pc.

the 99 cents a song stuff is evil...a radio can play it for free.

[ces]

Gxcad

A tech blog maybe isn't the best place to ask a legal question. I think you should go find a blog with lawyers on it and put the question there.

There are many legal questions that can have multiple or even conflicting answers. Your question is not one of those. Your question is one that has only a single clear answer. It is sort of like global warming... there is no well informed argument about whether or not it is occurring. And there is no well informed argument about what the answer to your question is.

And if you put your question on a lawyers blog you will get a unanimous response with no dissenting opinions. I would encourage you to do that.

[Gxcad]

Thanks for the suggestion, ces, as well as colm for the reply.

Was merely curious, thought I'd chat it up in SPCR's 'pub'. To be totally honest I cannot be bothered to go to the trouble of properly finding out a definitive answer. I do download them occasionally and I rarely look back. I figure if the music exists and it is freely being distributed, yet not the same as the original, with no option to purchase, why not download and enjoy them.

Can be a sensitive topic though.

[nzdcoy]

the 99 cents a song stuff is evil...a radio can play it for free.

Its not free for the radio station though....