Is this legal?

[nieh]

So, my school likes to play music during passing periods some days, which is usually some bad top 40s hits, which is bad enough but I just dealt with it. Starting today the started playing Christmas music during the passing periods. I know its illegal to celebrate religious holidays in school, but it's legal to learn about them. Seeing as they're forcing everyone to listen to it and we aren't learning anything from it, wouldn't it fall into the illegal realm? We have a bunch of foreign exchange students from across the world and a large number of students who don't celebrate Christmas. So I went into the office to talk to the administrator and told him it was making me and some other students uncomfortable and he just told me to deal with it and one of the receptionists called me a scrooge. thoughts?

[jfrey]

Is it specifically Christmas music, or just Winter season music?

If the former, then yes - it is illegal (provided that you go to a public school).

[the_carl]

Wouldn't it technically be illegal to play music for a crowd without some kind of licensing agreement or whatever anyway? I'm pretty sure the context you're describing does not fall under fair use.

Edit: I forgot that the radio exists, so if it's just radio, I lose.

[Bellyheart]

Sounds like your opinion doesn't matter at all. Ah, I miss high school.

[nieh]

Is it specifically Christmas music, or just Winter season music?

If the former, then yes - it is illegal (provided that you go to a public school).

It was specifically Christmas music. And I do go to a public school.

[devnulljp]

Call the RIAA. That would be fun to watch.

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

why do ppl love to blast christmas music so much? its EVERYWHEREEEEEEEEEEEEE

saw some dude in an escalade, bumping some serious jingle bells on his 15" subs

[Fuzzy Picklez]

What ever it is, it's annoying and it should stop.

[skullservant]

Christmas music has been playing in my office since the day after Thanksgiving. The same 4 CDs. All day, from 8am to 7pm. I'm on day 8...

[coldbrightsunlight]

Whether or not it's illegal, why the FUCK do people like to listen to that shit? It's the same old terrible songs, year after year. And I get called a scrooge because I think christmas should be limited to the week-ish surrounding it? I fucking LOVE christmas, I just hate that the holiday has spread to cover a full month and I hate shitty music.

GRRRRRRR.

[space6oy]

more than a month over here, every store had their christmas products out around halloween.

i'm not a religious person but i LOVE christmas, started decorating my house last night. just a fun mood change for some reason. giving people i care about presents rock.

sorry to veer off... that would be annoying about the music. (any minute now my dad's gonna ask me to do that to our office...)

[Psyre]

scrooge

[Achtane]

Hey now. You can't deny "Last Christmas" by Wham!.
It's not even a Christmas song beyond the title, plus those synths...fantastic.

[Atrox]

i'm not a religious person but i LOVE christmas, started decorating my house last night. just a fun mood change for some reason. giving people i care about presents rock.

Same here. i love the mood change when christmas time arrives. And therefore Christmas songs rock!

In Austria schools can do whatever they want with music, play it and cover it, it is paid for by the government. But copying sheet music is illigeal, funny thing...

[theavondon]

Hey now. You can't deny "Last Christmas" by Wham!.
It's not even a Christmas song beyond the title, plus those synths...fantastic.

LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAST CHRISSSSSSSSSSSSSSTMAS I GAVE YOU MY HEART,
THE VERY NEXT DAY, YOU THREW IT AWAY
THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS YEAR I'M SAVIN MY TEARSSS
TO GIVE THEM TO SOMEONE SPESHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUL

I only know the first verse of that song, and it gets stuck in my head whenever I hear it, and so I start singing it out loud.