Legal Disclaimers
In the 2000s, TMBG's management and website staff wrote multiple legal disclaimers aimed at fans of the band, regarding the possible exploitation of the band's online music-sharing generosity (the TMBG Clock Radio and the They Might Be Giants Podcast, respectively), and regarding obtaining the band's music through illegal means. The first notice is from the TMBG Mailing List, sent out with the August 20, 2003 letter. The second notice is located on the bottom of the "Info & Boilerplate" page on the updated dialasong.com, posted in early August 2006. The third notice was posted to TMBG's Myspace profile just in time for the digital release of The Else. The notices have been copied below for preservation and easy access.
August 2003 - Disclaimer #1
OUR VERY FIRST LEGAL DISCLAIMER
In light of recent events, we here at tmbg.com want to remind everyone that They Might Be Giants offer the TMBG Clock Radio and free Mp3s to their audience out of respect and love for their support. Please do not take their stuff and disseminate it in ways that will only crush their spirit of generosity. Do not feel compelled to overthink this. Enjoy the music in the spirit and the form it was given. It's a gift to you-not content to be exploited. Sincerely-the staff of tmbg.com.
August 2006 - Disclaimer #2
All the material in the podcast is copyright They Might Be Giants, TMBG Music BMI, and much of it is administered by Warner Chappel Music.
TMBG's second legal notice ever:
The band shares the music in these podcasts with the world in the spirit of freedom of expression and a genuine desire to find an audience for their work. This work is not content for your site, nor is it meant to be disseminated through other outlets. Do not over think this. Please do not exploit this effort, or confuse the single intention of this project. Sign up and enjoy what is offered. If you like the podcasts, we sincerely encourage you to tell your friends and have them join. We would also point you toward TMBG's albums and downloads at theymightbegiants.com, and encourage you to help the band continue create and make a living through their musical efforts.
They Might Be Giants are independent artists. While they are happy (and occasionally unhappy) to collaborate in the marketing and rights management of their music with large, faceless corporations, their compositions are theirs and theirs alone.
May 2007 - Disclaimer #3
If you are interested in free music from They Might Be Giants, we would like to point you toward their free podcast and their longstanding free mp3 service, both of which are updated on about a monthly basis.
(Paragraph repeated from Dialasong.com's disclaimer:)
The band asks you not to illegally download "The Else".
They Might Be Giants are independent artists. While they are happy (and occasionally unhappy) to collaborate in the marketing and rights management of their music with large, faceless corporations, their compositions are theirs and theirs alone.
The band has chosen to pre-release their new album "The Else" on iTunes 7 weeks before the "street" date out of consideration for their fans that feel they cannot wait. The band recognizes this is hardly the perfect solution to what is an overly complex issue, but they do ask that listeners respect the fact that this album is going to be for sale, and is a primary source of the bands income. We invite you not to over-think this.
