Yorkshire DJ ordered to pay £21,000 over unauthorised remixes
A DJ who made tens of thousands of pounds by ripping off musicians' work and using it in unauthorised remixes which he sold online has been sentenced.
Marc Kearns, of Back Lane, East Cowick, near Snaith, was in breach of copyright law when he produced remixes of well‑known tracks, Hull Crown Court was told.
Following earlier guilty pleas, the court handed the 47-year-old a suspended jail term and ordered him to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.
The court heard the matter came to the attention of the British Phonographic Industry in 2018, which made a number of test purchases.
A warrant was issued in 2022 and his home was searched.
East Riding Council trading standards department said Kearns had used identifiable elements of original sound recordings without permission from the copyright owners.
The council said: "This activity enabled him to commercially exploit protected material, generating income at the expense of legitimate artists and businesses within the music industry."
A financial analysis suggested online sales of CDs over around five years generated £220,979 – excluding production costs.
Trading Standards officers worked closely with national partners to obtain the prosecution, which required significant technical expertise, and several years of investigation.
The court awarded full prosecution costs to the council of more than £21,000, and ordered the destruction of all music products which infringed copyright.