Cover Versions

Everything In Its Right Place is a cover of, arguably, Radiohead's most left of mainstream song. Kid A's opener is re-interpreted with angst guitars and a codeine thick voice. On first listen, it sounds (almost) unrecognisable. Steve Adey is not afraid of taking on classic songs.  His 2006 debut 'All Things Real' featured a cover of Bob Dylan's 'Shelter  From The Storm', a track that subsequently made the Times: best songs of 2006.

   

spose u could try

Thanks man :)  They wouldn't get anything if they sued me anyway...   Just thought it might be a foot in the door type of thing for what I'd really like to do which is commercial music for tv and movies. With the writers strike and all now might be an opportune time.

A cover is merely a song that has been written, and most likely recorded (since you know it to perform or record it yourself) by someone other than yourself.

It's not the same as lifting and/or looping a sample of a master recording.

A publisher, who owns the rights to a song along with the writer, can legally prohibit/prevent anyone from initially recording a song, if it has yet to be recorded commercially. That's known as putting or keeping a song "on hold". They will do that if, for instance, an Ashlee Simpson or Taylor Swift or other top-selling singer has expressed interest in a song, thus ensuring that someone else won't record it in the meantime, beating them to the punch.

Once it has been recorded and released commercially by someone, anyone can then record it without permission. If it is to be released commercially, though, a license fee must be paid for small numbers of pressings. After a "cover" song is recorded and becomes successful by an artist other than the writer, writer royalties from airplay and sales are paid to the writer(s) and publisher(s), since they wrote/control  the damn thing. That's what writers' societies like ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC do---hunt down and distribute those dollars to the writers. So write those songs to record yourself while your letting folks in on how you sound with other "covers". As long as your not selling them, you should be cool.  Once you record them and sell them, it's a nominal (like $92) license to include it on the first 5,000 or so CD's.

~JDC88