Remix your favourite songs & sell them, legally

Legitmix Empowers Artists from Legitmix on Vimeo.

Legitmix is a new service, currently in Beta, that allows you to remix or re-edit other people's copyrighted music and sell the remix legally....or at least that's what they claim is the legal position.

I hope they're right, because it's a great idea that sees the orignal artist and the remixer get paid for making something new and might legitimise the world of bootlegs in dance music.

This is what they say:

Legitmix fosters a symbiotic relationship between artists and the copyright holders they sample— and music fans benefit. Artists, producers, and DJs create freely, avoid licensing headaches and profit from the sale of their Legitmix files and the associated source music. Musicians, labels, and publishers get paid when their music is purchased as part of the Legitmix process. Websites receive a commission when they refer sales. Fans get a convenient, legal way to support their favorite artists while building their music collection. Legitmix makes this possible by keeping a percentage from the sale of Legitmix files and source music.

And, I think they're probably right, under US law. The issue might be a bit more murky in other countries where creators have what is known as a 'moral right', but I am asking some UK lawyers to have a look and let me know what they think the position is.

Let's assume for now that Legitmix is right in the advice it has taken and this service survives - what does that mean for you?

Well, primarily for dance music producers, this is a massive opportunity. You will be able to create remixes and re-edits of existing tracks (old classics, current club hits, songs from other genres) and have them available for sale....and, crucially, to promote your name.

We'll let you know what the lawyers say, but hopefully this is an innovation that will shake things up and create new opportunity for budding producers and artists.

Check out their site here.