The Music Industry, Getting Even More Over-protective

I play guitar, and I find many of the chords to songs I like from the internet. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of sites on the web dedicated to posting person's individual interpretations of how a song goes. These are not official sheet music transcripts, but rather what people figure out on their own while listening to the song (I'm kind of tone deaf, so I am not very good at this. However, over the years, I've gotten better).

One of the sites I use is Guitar Tab Universe, which is now under threat from the National Music Publisher's Association (NMPA, in the US). Legal action is being threatened because the NMPA believes that "sharing tabulature constitutes copyright infringement." The homepage of the Guitar Tab Universe has a clear and concise statement regarding their position.

I don't believe that I am infringing on anyone's copyright when I learn from someone else how to play a song. Am I infringing on copyright when I learn the lyrics to a song and then sing them? If I tell someone the plot of a movie, or even how it ends, is that infringment? After using this site for years, I can tell you that half the time the tabs are wrong anyway. The only way it's infringment is if you start making money on it. But if you're making money on it, you'd have to buy the rights to the song anyway or have a crapload of lawsuits on your hands. It's not artists, but the publishers of songbooks, who are bitching in this case.

The music industry is doing a good job blowing this internet thing out of proportion. To me, music is about communication. The industry wants us to buy music and listen to it, but not talk about it or sing it or enjoy it on our own instruments. I can't wait for the music industry to start suing school bands.