Covers

[Kristiana Azariah]

I hope this is the right place to ask a question like this.  I was curious about covers.  Is there some sort of license you need to do a cover?  Is that only under certain circumstances?  I see covers being done frequently on YouTube and SoundCloud, but if you're not a performer who makes money off your covers and perhaps a backyard player,  it seems a little crazy to purchase an expensive(?) license just to try your hand at a cover or two.  To all appearances, many of those on Youtube, seem to be doing it just for the fun of it and don't make a career of it.  Did they have to purchase a license first?  

I know that one time I tried to upload a video to Youtube with my kids using their puppets to lip sync to a song (It was a riot to watch) and I got a nasty note from Youtube about copyright infringement.  I imagine any video of dancers dancing to music would run into the same thing.  I can't imagine that ANYone would get away with doing a cover on Youtube without something giving them the okay?  What are the requirements and is it the same in every circumstance?

[john]

Hi

 

You don’t need to purchase a license. Certainly not for most non-commercial covers.

 

It generally comes down to who the publisher is. What you need is permission to cover the song, and that is in essence a license, as you will be told exactly what you can and cannot do with the song.

 

The old way to do it was to contact the publisher laying out your intended use. Some were quite friendly and would give you permission for non-commercial release. Some would try to charge you a fee, and others still would ignore you. In the last two cases you had not obtained permission (assuming you hadn’t paid the license fee) so you would be in breach of copyright if you use the song.

 

The modern way is that a number of publishers have “pre-cleared” non-commercial releases,often in a deal over YouTube advertising income from the video in question. That means you can perform and release ON YOUTUBE ONLY songs by artists on their roster. They often have conditions as a part of the pre-cleared license.

 

Many artists doing covers on YouTube may not be making a full commercial release, but many do earnmoney through the YouTube advertising program.

 

You might like this topic, but definitely checkout this post, watch the vid and follow the link

 

 

 

[Kristiana Azariah]

Thank you for this, @john.  This is quite helpful!

[john]

10 minutes ago, Kristiana Azariah said:

Thank you for this, @john.  This is quite helpful!

 

I try, I try! Lol