Bard Performance Feedback

[AltarisSol]

My wife and I are returning players. Her main is a bard and to our surprise a new feature was added called "Performance". We have some feedback. Not sure if I am putting this post in the right place, but it's the best I can find.

I read some news that performance was a mistake. Meaning there have been a lot of challenges with copy rights, banning and such and the development team regrets it.

My wife, and I am sure plenty of others, are not musicians nor musically inclined in the real world but like the idea of performing for others. So with the new performance feature that leaves her not able to role play her character and perform anything even remotely decent as I believe the intention for the system was to provide. But you have to have some music background to do so. Initially we were excited but this system is overly complex implementation if you ask me and anyone not musically inclined can't really play anything. If I had to guess the larger part of the FFXIV population and even less of those that are bards can't play music with this system with any kind of success, or decent sounds.

Here is our recommendation.
- Change the performance system so you can only use the orchestration scrolls you have acquired in game.
- Then allow the bard to select the instrument to play and then select one of the orchestration scrolls they own as the song you wish to perform.
- The character would then perform that song from the orchestration scroll.
- Allow the bard some variants of the song by perhaps giving them the ability to change octave, tone, or speed in which they want to play that song. Maybe perhaps add in a tone or two live while the song is being played.

Benefits,
- To us this would simplify the system allowing even players who are not musically inclined in real life to perform with their character.
- Eliminate any copy right issues because you would control what songs can be played.
- Encourage bard to collect orchestration scrolls, perhaps add quests to learn and get them so they can have a larger library of songs to play.

I don't really see a downside other than some would be disappointed they can't actually play their own song. The few that are musically inclined.

Well we hope this reaches the dev or project team. It would sure be a nice add. If so, Thanks for your time and listening to our community.

[Violet_Galaxy]

If I recall correctly, they specifically have ToS before you can even use the Performance feature and it clearly states that you can't perform third party music which is pretty much any song that is NOT in this game. Having said that, it's pretty much SE's way of covering their butt from lawsuits as plenty of people play third party music anyway (at their own risk of course). In my honest opinion, I think they should scrap the Bard performance entirely since I think it's really redundant (we already have the ost and orchestration scrolls) and uh stupid to just be restricted to music from this game only.

[Niwashi]

... can't perform third party music which is pretty much any song that is NOT in this game.

That should be: "can't perform third party music that's under copyright, which is pretty much any modern, published song that is NOT in this game." All the thousands upon thousands of older or traditional songs, however, are perfectly acceptable, as are original pieces.

[Oopsy]

That should be: "can't perform third party music that's under copyright, which is pretty much any modern, published song that is NOT in this game." All the thousands upon thousands of older or traditional songs, however, are perfectly acceptable, as are original pieces.

Yups! If you need to find a score just look for something in the public domain.

You can also make your own music...

but if you base it off something that exist.. remember Under pressure and Ice ice baby is still totally a violation of copyrights.
Ding Ding Ding Digga Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ting....
Ding Ding Ding Digga Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding....

And Ed Sheeran? He's just a cover artist taking the music of others and plugging his lyrics in. Dont believe it? Look it up... “Shape of You” = “No Scrubs” TLC , “Photograph.” = “Amazing” Matt Cardle, “Thinking Out Loud” = “Let’s Get It On.” Marvin Gaye

But.... Then again... If you have permissions from the writer.
I think the ones here for commercial use are licensed for public use with out modification or royalties. Just be careful some people may miss-classify or they may have already violated some one else's copyright.
https://musescore.com/sheetmusic?sort=relevance&license=to_use_commercially

[Phenidate]

Yups! If you need to find a score just look for something in the public domain.

You can also make your own music...

but if you base it off something that exist.. remember Under pressure and Ice ice baby is still totally a violation of copyrights.
...
And Ed Sheeran? He's just a cover artist taking the music of others and plugging his lyrics in.
...
But.... Then again... If you have permissions from the writer.
https://musescore.com/sheetmusic?sort=relevance&license=to_use_commercially

Uh, hang on.
You're confusing copyrights here - there's what Vanilla did, where he violated performance copyright - and what we aren't violating when performing covers, which is song copyright.

One of them is the "don't copy that floppy" high seas type "sue gramgram for millions of dollars" copyright.

The other entitles an artist to collect royalties on any cover of their song. That's the 'composer' copyright - and it's closer to what people of think of as 'public domain'.
Except not.

Wikipedia has a blurb on cover versions.
ASCAP and the like have generally ceased roping in street performance and recreational performance with concerts, after the Girl Scout debacle - and Warner/Chanell being found out to be liars, costing them a cheery $14 mil in birthday money.


That said - all of that has zero, zilch, nada to do wth Performance in game, and SE's ToS. As far as can be seen - it's over protective and doesn't acknowledge copyright law beyond listing anything copyright as 'no go.'
It's not the law, it's just their rules.

Outside the game, though... you compose a song, you sell albums (or songs online), you own the copyright on the performance, and any distributor has mechanical right to reproduce (because the store has to make copies and download it to your fans).
If other artists like it, they can perform your song themselves. If they make money off it - they owe you royalties.
If someone takes your Mp3, puts it on pirate bay, they're chilling with Vanilla Ice in terms of breaking the law.

Reverbnation started a nice series on copyright law for musicians thats worth checking out - save the cost of consulting a lawyer just to get a clearer idea of what the law is.