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I hope this isn't too stupid of a question, since I know the Soundtracks Resource was nixed, but what about a resource for soundfonts? I'd presume they're under that same legal grey area as sprites/models/textures/ect, since they're not sold and they're not so much actual music as tools for making music.
Do you think those could; say; fit in with the Sounds Resource in terms of archival? Or are there obstacles in the way of soundfont archival?
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06-20-2018, 06:16 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-20-2018, 06:17 AM by Yawackhary.)
Hmm... Probably not for the VG Resource to have.
While the instruments themselves can't be copyrighted (unless it is from the maker of the instrument), its where the instruments came from. While the NES, Gameboy and anything that used the AY/PSG is mostly safe as it is usually done with tones but when it gets towards the 16-bit era onwards it gets hairy. Different composers used different ways of making music from samples to using a Yamaha/Roland keyboard, I imagine the latter is copyrighted too. It also goes towards the samples and many samples are actually copyrighted to the point where that is a touchy issue for the music industry at the moment regarding songs.
I know many games use the Zero-G library of samples (off on top my head; various Sega games in the early to late 1990s from Sonic CD to Jet Set Radio, Grand Theft Auto 1 used a few as well) and they are for sale as well.
Yeah, pretty much that. We've considered it before given that the sound font doesn't directly give you the music but it's too slippery a slope to take the risk, especially given, as pointed out by Yawackhary, that at least some of them are indeed for sale (rare as that may be).
