OLGA
Encyclopedia
OLGA is an acronym for On-line Guitar Archive, the oldest internet library of guitar and bass tablature
, or "tabs". Born from a collection of guitarist internet-forum archives, it has been a useful resource for musicians of all genres for over a decade.
In 1996, EMI Publishing
filed a complaint with UNLV, claiming that the archive was in breach of copyright law
with songs they had the rights to. Although OLGA was never threatened directly, UNLV kicked the project off its server. Then in 1998, after a new home for the site was found, OLGA received a similar copyright complaint from the Harry Fox Agency
. As a result, OLGA was forced to shut down, re-emerging later as OLGA incorporated, a registered non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the archive and providing for its bandwidth. The site prior to this final move is preserved as "the old archive," and contributions since the move are stored in "the new archive".
In June 2006 they received a take down
letter from lawyers representing the NMPA
and the MPA
http://olga.net.
The future of OLGA is in doubt as the Harry Fox Agency has begun a contract with Musicnotes.com to license many popular songs for free chord sheets, tablature, lyrics, and sheet music dissemination.
The site accepts music in strict ASCII format, with file suffixes: *.crd, *.tab, *.pro and *.txt; they do not accept *.doc or *.wps files. See the site's submitting FAQ for details.
and the Music Publishers' Association", according to the linked letter on the front page. In the letter it is stated that OLGA "makes available tablature versions of copyrighted musical compositions owned or controlled by members of the NMPA and MPA"
Although in late 2007, the site indicates that the shutdown may only be temporary while OLGA attempts to resolve legal issues, the long time archivist for the site has indicated that the situation is permanent. On a personal web site he states, "For twelve years I ran OLGA - the On-Line Guitar Archive. RIP."
Tablature
Tablature is a form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering rather than musical pitches....
, or "tabs". Born from a collection of guitarist internet-forum archives, it has been a useful resource for musicians of all genres for over a decade.
History
The website began its life in the newsgroups rec.music.makers.guitar.tablaturehttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.music.makers.guitar.tablature?hl=en and alt.guitar.tabhttp://groups.google.com/group/alt.guitar.tab?hl=en, where users would post tabs they had written or requests for tabs of certain songs or artists. The problem was that after a few days, the contents of the forum would be aged (i.e. removed). Around 1992 the posts were collected together by James Bender at UNLV into an ftp site that later became www.OLGA.net, the project's current home. In 1994 Cathal Woods took over the project as archivist and is still in charge today.In 1996, EMI Publishing
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
filed a complaint with UNLV, claiming that the archive was in breach of copyright law
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
with songs they had the rights to. Although OLGA was never threatened directly, UNLV kicked the project off its server. Then in 1998, after a new home for the site was found, OLGA received a similar copyright complaint from the Harry Fox Agency
Harry Fox Agency
The Harry Fox Agency is the United States of America's largest agency collecting and distributing mechanical license fees on behalf of music publishers.-External links:*...
. As a result, OLGA was forced to shut down, re-emerging later as OLGA incorporated, a registered non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the archive and providing for its bandwidth. The site prior to this final move is preserved as "the old archive," and contributions since the move are stored in "the new archive".
In June 2006 they received a take down
Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act
The Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act is United States federal law that creates a conditional safe harbor for online service providers and other Internet intermediaries by shielding them for their own acts of direct copyright infringement as well as...
letter from lawyers representing the NMPA
National Music Publishers Association
The National Music Publishers Association is the trade association representing American music publishers and their songwriting partners. The NMPA’s mandate is to protect and advance the interests of music publishers and songwriters in matters relating to the domestic and global protection of...
and the MPA
Music Publishers' Association
The Music Publishers Association of the United States is a music publishing organization based in New York City. Founded in 1895, the MPA is the oldest music trade organization in the United States...
http://olga.net.
The future of OLGA is in doubt as the Harry Fox Agency has begun a contract with Musicnotes.com to license many popular songs for free chord sheets, tablature, lyrics, and sheet music dissemination.
Contributing
As in the newsgroup days, OLGA is still a volunteer-run non-profit project; tablature is provided free of charge, and anyone can submit tabs they have written to the site. To be a candidate for the archive, a file must be the author's own work (i.e., interpretation of how to play the song) and cannot have been derived from a published music book, otherwise inclusion in OLGA would constitute a copyright violation.The site accepts music in strict ASCII format, with file suffixes: *.crd, *.tab, *.pro and *.txt; they do not accept *.doc or *.wps files. See the site's submitting FAQ for details.
Current status
In 2006, the Archive removed all 34,000 tablatures on the site. A note posted on the site indicated that those running the site had received "a 'take down' letter from lawyers representing the National Music Publishers AssociationNational Music Publishers Association
The National Music Publishers Association is the trade association representing American music publishers and their songwriting partners. The NMPA’s mandate is to protect and advance the interests of music publishers and songwriters in matters relating to the domestic and global protection of...
and the Music Publishers' Association", according to the linked letter on the front page. In the letter it is stated that OLGA "makes available tablature versions of copyrighted musical compositions owned or controlled by members of the NMPA and MPA"
Although in late 2007, the site indicates that the shutdown may only be temporary while OLGA attempts to resolve legal issues, the long time archivist for the site has indicated that the situation is permanent. On a personal web site he states, "For twelve years I ran OLGA - the On-Line Guitar Archive. RIP."
See also
- Trade group efforts against file sharingTrade group efforts against file sharingImpact of illegal downloading on the film industryArts and media industry trade groups such as the Recording Industry Association of America and Motion Picture Association of America strongly oppose and attempt to prevent copyright infringement through file sharing...
- GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Sheet musicSheet musicSheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
- Music notation