Why I can use other people's copyrighted music:
Basically, this falls squarely under the "Fair Use" clause of
the 1976 Copyright Act (17
USCS §107) and the Berne Agreement on international copyrights.
I am:
- Only using short excerpts of the works.
- Using the works
in a reduced-fidelity representation.
- Using the works in a
not-for-profit manner.
- Not impacting the market value of the
works.
- Using the works for scientific research (or, in the
words of the United States Constitution, "...to promote the progress of
science and the useful arts").
For more information, see the Fair Use Test
at
the Copyright Website.
Note to the RIAA or its agents: I would welcome the free publicity that would
result from a Cease-and-Desist
letter, should you care to send one.