DJs are not exempt from copyright laws.  When radio and nightclub disc jockeys compile a CD or cassette of tracks from a number of unrelated albums to use in their work, each song must be authorized -- even if the CD is made by a legitimate CD manufacturer.

 The law is simple:  Duplicating copyrighted sound recordings for professional disc jockey purposes without the authorization of the sound recording copyright owner is a violation of federal and/or state copyright law.  This includes copying all or some of a sound recording to analog or digital tape, CD-R, mini-disc or a computer disk/hard drive.  Violators could be civilly liable for statutory damages of up to $100,000 per infringed sound recording, in addition to costs and the copyright owner’s attorney fees.  Criminal liabilities include up to five years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $250,000.

 The RIAA’s continuing enforcement efforts focus on the manufacture and distribution of illegal compilations throughout the DJ community, including businesses that allege to be authorized but are not.  The RIAA also addresses flagrant copyright infringement by DJs who create and manufacture multi-disk compilations of top hits without obtaining appropriate licenses from the copyright holders.

 RECORDING  INDUSTRY  ASSOCIATION  OF  AMERICA,  INC.