Legal Battles in the Media

        In the world of Television and online television there are plenty of issues that have litigation surrounding them. From copyrights, to signing waivers, and music video infringements, there are so many ways that one in the television industry could get into legal trouble. One must realize that in this business you have to trace your steps, dot your I's, and cross your T's, or else it could end up in a legal battle that could bring an organization down.
        Recently Viacom sued Google for having some of their content on the YouTube website without their permission and they demanded that YouTube give them documented numbers of those watching the shows, and all the ip addresses of the viewers that watch any content owned by Viacom. Google loss the battle and has to give Viacom this info. We can learn from this experience how important it is to require that all content used on websites have authorized permission. To read this article click here.
        Another interesting legal issue is the controversy for Grammy nominated rapper Nicky Minaj. MTV did a documentary and this documentary focused on the rappers story and in the video was a clip of a street drummer, Michael Savely who appeared in the MTV documentary without Savely's consent. Michael claims that he refused to sign a waiver and he was still seen in the video which represents a lifestyle contrary to his conservative way of living. Savely mentioned that he runs a street drumming business in which he teaches kids and the profanity and provocative dressing of Micky Minaj does not present a good image to Savelys clients who expect his trust. To read the full Article click here.
      There is a new trend regarding legal matters regarding the use of music in videos. Todd and Jeff Brabec discuss how things have changed and the procedures in which negotiations are made regarding music. This process entails keeping abreast with all the new technologies, marketing strategies, and media outlets. For instance TV producers should now ask for permission on all media platforms to use music because there are multiple ways in this world that people can view content. In the article it is suggested that producers use terminology that is all inclusive such as stating"All Media Licenses Excluding Theatrical." This will include music licenses on various platforms which will help avoid legal challenges and battles. To view the entire article click here.
     So we can clearly see the importance of understanding legal matters in the music television industry. This is another advancement for Urban Christian Media.

Refercences:
http://www.webpronews.com/viacom-wins-youtube-viewing-records-in-court-2008-07
http://www.billboard.com/news/nicki-minaj-mtv-documentary-provokes-lawsuit-1005103822.story#/news/nicki-minaj-mtv-documentary-provokes-lawsuit-1005103822.story
http://www.musicandmoney.com/articles/115-new-issues-in-television-music-licensing.html

Video Commentary on Jesus the Ganster?

In this video I watched with Pastor Marvin Miles and Tiny"DeeBo"Lister they are being intervied by the host of Good News Talk Show. This show went on to discuss about the play they developed. It started from an incident in which a Detroit youth was shot point blank and died. The motivation behind the play was looking at what good can they get out of this situation. They realized something had to be done so Pastor Marivn Miles flew in "Deebo" and they worked on developing a play which would touch the lives of a city that is known for its high crime and murder rates. "Deebo" speaks of his various roles in TV & movies and says that none of the roles he plays matches the biggest "gangster", Jesus. He goes on to talk about who else do you know that rose from the dead after 3 days, who else could feed 5,000 from a biscuit and a piece of fish.




I personally know of Tiny Lister's involvement in Christian media because he also came to my church in Sacramento, Calvary Christian Center. He did a play at my church called "Gotta Get Out" In this play it is very graphic and has the goal of reaching out to the youth to minister the gospel to them in a very realistic setting of rape, murder, suicide, drugs, etc. This is another yet successful venture for urban Christian media.In this article I have included the commercial from "Gotta get Out":

HIP HOP GOSPEL BEING ENDORSED IN THE CORPORATE WORLD

I read a press article from one of my actual mentors in the media industry. My mentors name is Mr. Timothy "Bliss" Jones. He is definitely a strong force in the Christian media/business arena with over 15 successful websites and counting. For example he has datinggodsway.com,  mixtapeministry.com, djplayme.com, blissgraphicstudio.com, ardyssbliss.com, blissmusicauction.com and much more. In the article Mr. Jones discusses the ever increasing trends that the Hip Hop Gospel is alluring. Hip Hop Gospel is the fusion of 2 unseemly genres merging together to promote Christ through music. This genre is even getting the attention of billionaire Donald Trump who personally picked "Rawservant" a Hip Hop Gospel rapper to be on his show "Donald J. Trump Presents The Ultimate Merger."Bliss explains in the article that this will attract others that have money to notice the genre like Oprah Winfrey. Also Hip Hop Gospel artist like Trip Lee continue to get airplay on secular shows as BET's 106 & park. This is yet another accomplishment in urban Christian media. Lets get it! Article referenced from http://www.dasouth.com/news/24-news/4249-christian-hip-hop-embraced-by-donald-trump-seeks-orpah-winfrey-endorsement#disqus_thread