Posting etiquette and the "Inner Puppy"....

[OsCKilO]

I just thought.......

What are the site rules re adding to other people's work?
I got drunk and added to one of Geir's the other day but forgot to ask him.

Any thoughts on the subject. ..?

Should we write a songcrafters constitution ?

[The Gobi Desert Canoe Club]

Good question, I'm always pleased if someone takes the time to listen to my stuff and if they want to add I couldn't be more delighted and flattered. But that's me, and usually there's bags of room for improvement, whereas I could imagine that if you've worked for hours and hours getting a song to the state where it sounds as good from speakers as it does in your head you might be a bit miffed by someone adding unwanted tracks. Having said that, the writer will always have the orignal track anyway.
Not sure a constitution is needed but maybe a pm out of politeness...................Willie

[Gritter]

I too think one should ask.

[thetworegs]

Not sure a constitution is needed but maybe a pm out of politeness...................Willie

I agree a PM out of politeness would be nice

[Flash Harry]

An interesting one.

My understanding - and this may be flawed - was that if a piece was posted in Original Songs then this was a completed work published and not for collaboration and if a piece was posted in Collaborations it was there for any additions that people thought appropriate and a re-post of the modified track was made with the same understanding attached.

 

[Migs]

I got drunk and added to one of Geir's the other day but forgot to ask him.

Any thoughts on the subject. ..?

I think it is dangerous to piss off Vikings.

[Geir]

I got drunk and added to one of Geir's the other day but forgot to ask him.

Any thoughts on the subject. ..?

I think it is dangerous to piss off Vikings.

It is  !!! So beware !!!!


Seriously, I think it is good manners to ask before adding to someone elses post. I know when I have posted something and someone wants too add I usually don't object, I'm honored that someone wants to. But I still like to be asked, and to be able to hear it before it gets posted.

And a technical point too ... the original posts usually have been mastered, when someone adds and then masters it again, it can reduce the overall quality. So asking for an unmastered copy to add to or sending the addition to the original poster so that he/she can master it and have the final say on the mix really adds to the final quality of the post and should be in both parties interest

[64Guitars]

As a courtesy, I think we should always ask before adding to someone's song.

And a technical point too ... the original posts usually have been mastered, when someone adds and then masters it again, it can reduce the overall quality. So asking for an unmastered copy to add to or sending the addition to the original poster so that he/she can master it and have the final say on the mix really adds to the final quality of the post and should be in both parties interest

That's a good point. I think the original creator of a song should always do the final mix and post the song. There are a few good reasons for this.

• The song really belongs to the person who originally created it and I think he has a right to full control over how he wants it mixed and mastered.
• The original creator of the song has the original high-quality tracks and these should be used in the final mix rather than a low-quality MP3.
• Only the person who posts a song will have that song in his personal jukebox. It would be nice if there was a way to add the song to the personal jukeboxes of everyone who contributed to the song but that's not possible. So I think a song should always be posted by the person who originally created it rather than anyone else who may have contributed.
• It gives the song's creator the right to decide whether to post it or not. Let's face it, our songs can be very personal and sometimes we might not like seeing them tampered with. So the creator of a song should have the right to say "Thanks but no thanks" to any additions. When that happens, the additional contributor shouldn't be offended. It's a bit of a gamble when you offer additions to someone's song and you should be prepared to occasionally get rejected without taking it personally (all the more reason to ask first).

[Oldrottenhead]

My inner puppy often gets the better of me but more often than not it is posting rough mixes of songs, usually jemima's kite songs.

 Regarding adding to other's songs, I usually only add to songs by members I have had a long standing relationship with, and usually these collaborations are done by email.

But often I will add to songs posted in original songs, again 99% of the time it is with members I have had a longstanding relationship with, more often than not when they are posted I get a pm from them asking me if I want to add. Generally they are instrumentals and they are asking for a lyric/vox.

Often I will post a finished song but may ask one ot two membes that I have complete faith in to add to it, if they can.

On rare occasions someone will post an instrumental piece that I think I can add a lyric too, but I don't have a longstanding relationship with them. In these cases I ask first . although on some occassions I have recorded a lyric/vox before asking, in these cases  I send a version to them and let them decide whether it should be posted or not. 
As a courtesy, I think we should always ask before adding to someone's song.

That said many years ago Tharek told me I could add to any osckilo song that I wanted 

[AndyR]

I'd say ask before posting an addition. Personally, I don't mind the idea of someone, in private, experimenting with one of my recordings without asking me. If it gets exciting enough that they want others to hear it then I'd definitely want to be asked.

When orh spotted a vocal opportunity on an instrumental of mine, he did indeed send me a copy in a "hope you don't mind, but this kinda happened, what do you think?" email.

Obviously he was taking a risk I'd be offended or, if what he'd done had been naff, it might've put me in a funny position of having to go "er, it's a bit cr@p though, isn't?!" 

Luckily it worked out quite well. If he had just posted it or even asked me "in public" I might have felt different. But now we've done it once, if I ever post an instrumental again it wouldn't worry me at all if he replied with "mind if I give it a go?" in the thread. (In fact, after what he did on the first one, I'm more likely to send him the instrumental first, before posting it!)