Is it legal?

[orerockon]

Originally Posted by ddouglass

Then I guess what you are saying then is every DJ is operating illegally!!
You are forgetting the fact that those establishments where DJ's and KJ's play their music are paying license fees to ASCAP, etc for that very right, so I guess the advice isn't so terrible after all.

If you read the original question, I am not saying that any KJ operates illegally. I am saying that using a devocalized original recording (aka "sampling") in a show from which you or the establishment earns a direct profit from your performance without obtaining permission from the copyright owner of the recording is demonstrably in violation of US Copyright laws. By all means, please do not believe me. You can do a Google search and find this out for yourself. Paying blanket performance royalties to ASCAP does not cut it in this case. Those royalties apply to performances using backup tracks that you or the establishment purchased and own outright. It does not apply to recordings that you doctored yourself, regardless of whether you own them or not.