I have a large number of old country music (Conway, Loretta, George Jones, George Strait, Tammy Wynette, etc.) that are just collecting dust. I am trying to decide what to do with them. Other than give them to Goodwill. I found a company in Vancouver, Wa. that will convert to CD's for $8.00 per CD. Not sure I want to spend the money. Anyone else faced this problem and if so what did you do? Are there any local stores that sell used cassette tapes that will buy them?
Some of my tapes were over 30 years old and last year I noticed that a number of them were no longer playable. They, with the exception of one tape, are now landfill. The one tape joins the 8Track and Edison Coil as discussion items.
They do have stereo systems that you can transfer tapes/records to CD yourself. The ones I have seen run around 300-400.00+. OR you can capture it through the computer with a software. Here is a cheap example: http://www.soundabout.net/transfer_cassette_to_cd_diy.htm.
Cool. Thanks for the info on this. I have MANY cassettes that I would like to convert to CD. I have all of the Pink Floyd albums on cassette as well as all of the Led Zeppelin albums. This would be fantastic!
I still play mine. Most are still in very good condition. The ones that aren't playable went to the landfill. I have some rare stuff on tape that I don't want to part with, maybe I'll look into having some of that put on CD. Snuff
Is the quality of conversion as good as just buying the CD albums from Wal-Mart or a music store? If you're spending $8 bucks for conversion, why not just pony up and buy the CD? I rarely use cassettes anymore, but both my vehicles have CD/cassette players so I can still listen to them.
Do you have a link for this company? I have tapes of my mother, who has since died, that I would like to transfer for permanent keeping.
There's a store in Raleigh, Edward McKay, that might buy them. It's a used book/movie/game/music store. http://www.wefeedyourhead.com/wordpress/ Converting them to a different format is actually a copyright violation, so I'm not sure how legal the companies are that would convert them.
I think you will find the conversion of format is not a violation if it is solely for the use of the legal owner of the media. It is illegal to copy the media for transfer to another but not for one's own use as limited by the "fair use" clause determinations of the copyright laws.
I have two huge boxes that are no good. We made the mistake of storing them in the attic and I guess they got too hot over several summers.
Cassette to CD's for $8.00 Here is the link to the company in Washington that converts cassetts to CD's. http://www.medialocks.com/cassette.html
That is an "iffy" subject. It would generally fall under the "fair use" act BUT that is if it is from the original purchaser. The gray area falls in "did this person buy this copy?" ,"are they using it for personal use?"... Let's face it. Who still has their receipts from the music they bought from the 70's-90's? I always have customers sign terms and conditions for transfers I do. I would question any company that aimlessly copies media without some form of explanation of copyright law. It is very intricate and with all of the new software's, hardware's and equipment out there copyright laws are changing. People like to say, yeah, it's under fair usage, but that is a very broad term...these days. I would just make sure you do your investigation before handing it off to just "some company" somewhere in my opinion. For the full article: http://www.law.duke.edu/journals/dltr/articles/2002dltr0023.html A sample company I would consider albeit on the other side of the country... http://www.memorylanedigital.com/default_fs.asp?lp=3 Personally, if you can buy the CD version of your cassette, it would probably be the cheapest, most lawful and most reliable, not to mention the quality. If it is a record or cassette that is irreplaceable, then I would consider a transfer.
The receipt would not matter if you were making a copy of a commercially purchased recording or even duplicating a fair use copy that was of a format that is in danger of being lost according to other sections of the law. As for the quality of a newly produced recording from the original masters, I would agree that would be the best quality and possibly the best course. It would also remove any question of fair use, but that would be an area in which the business doing the recording would be more informed.
very easy to do if you know someone who owns a dvd/cd recorder. I have one and have done exactly what you're asking about.
With all the publicity recently from the flea market bust in Raleigh that was spurred by a complaint from the Recording Industry Association, I'd just be really hesitant to send it somewhere to get it copied. You could possibly claim fair use but the argument could also be made that if it is available for purchase in the desired format, copying it is depriving the copyright holder of income, thus violating copyright restrictions. If you make the copy in your own home, who would even really know or care, but it might just be easier to sell the cassettes and buy the CDs!
That is how I feel about it. Sorta. When a third party is involved it brings in all of these issues. Why even bother with them. You can do what stabillski said and at least you did it yourself. More than likely the companies that are offering this are probably doing the same thing and saying it is "high tech". I don't know if it would still be infringement what format you transfer to as long as you are the original purchaser. You wouldn't be depriving the copyright owner since you would be a previous purchaser of the product, it just so happens to be a different format. That is like saying you can't make a backup tape because you can buy the record. That is why I mentioned a receipt. A third party company doesn't know if you bought it, stole it, found it, etc. That is where "their" liability would be and in turn yours. I would think. Chances are slim but possible. I think Wayne and I are saying the same thing in general but from a DIYers vs. third party angle. NOW if it is home recordings of your kids or family and just don't want to deal with all of it, then send it to someone. No laws to tiptoe around.
I've already bought the music once. Its not my fault they put it on a cheap plastic medium that now won't play. I'd just download it from P2P and listen to it on an MP3 player. I'm so sick of the unethical, greedy slime-balls in the music industry trying to nickel and dime us to death at every turn. There's too many greedy little hands in the pot.
