Digital Fingerprints on the iTunes

Gracenote digital fingerprint technology has exposed what appears to be a major case of musical plagiarism when it identified a recording of Liszt's 12 "Transcendental Études" attributed to late pianist Joyce Hatto as the work of a different artist. Further investigation confirmed the recordings were identical, and when other Hatto recordings came under scrutiny, many more were found to have been originally recorded by other artists. Some tracks had been tempered with, possibly to disguise their origin. In one instance the tempo was reduced by 15.112% to alter the tone. William Barrington-Coupe who runs Concert Artist label responsible for publishing the infringing works has initially denied any wrongdoing, saying the sound waves prove nothing. Sound engineers disagree, noting that even similar performances by the same artist hold detectable differences--variables such as the timber of the room, the type and placement of microphones and the noise inherent in the recording system make each recording unique. It remains to be seen whether major labels whose copyrights were violated will choose to pursue the matter in court.