Live covers of songfight.org music

[Oracle]

Let's say I wanted to go down to the local brew-pub on the open musicians night and do some covers of my preferred songfight.org contestant's entries... what would be considered the apropriate way to go about requesting permission for such a distinct show of support and adoration?
What about if I'm interested in long-past entries... any different?
Anyone want to go ahead and say never to cover anything they've done?
Anyone want to go ahead and say anyone can cover anything they've done?

[Mogosagatai]

Everyone who posts music here is knowingly entering it into the hands of the public, meaning you can do whatever you want with it as long as you don't <i>sell</i> it. If anyone here would take offense to being covered at a pub, they probably shouldn't have submitted music.

Also, I think most songfighters, regular or otherwise, would take great pleasure in learning that they're being covered.

[roymond]

Everyone who posts music here is knowingly entering it into the hands of the public, meaning you can do whatever you want with it as long as you don't <i>sell</i> it. If anyone here would take offense to being covered at a pub, they probably shouldn't have submitted music.

No, that's not correct. Songfight entries are not public domain unless the songwriter specifies as much. You are knowingly posting to a public website, but the copyright remains the songwriter's...however they wish it to be applied.

Personally I'd love people to cover mine. Just let me know, and I'd love to hear it!

[deshead]

what would be considered the apropriate way to go about requesting permission

Live performances are treated the same as mechanical performances, so in a given venue, the same rules apply to performing a song as apply to playing a CD with the song on it. At least in Canada, you only require permission if the venue hasn't paid their SOCAN fees. Assuming the joint is licensed, then you can play whatever you want, regardless of who owns the copyright. (In the U.S., ASCAP and BMI do most of the licensing. Question #5 on this page leads me to believe that the laws are the same in The States.)

That said:

for such a distinct show of support and adoration?

I'm sure, as Mogosagatai mentioned, everyone here would love to know that their songs are being appreciated. So the "appropriate" way to ask would be any way that lets the artist know you care. PM, email, or friend-flood the vote for them some week.

[frankie big face]

It's courteous of you to ask permission, but who could possibly stop you? If you can play the latest Radiohead song legally in the pub, you can play any song found on this site legally. Presumably, the club has paid a fee to broadcast music (usually paid to ASCAP or BMI), the same way radio stations do. If you claim you wrote the song, that's a different story, but again, it's pretty unlikely with these relatively unknown songs you would ever get caught.

I will say this regarding your poll: songfight.org cannot "retain copyrights" to my songs because the people who run songfight don't own my songs, I do. Same with everyone else who posts songs here.

[roymond]

Yeah, performance isn't an issue. I was responding to implications of public domain, blah blah blah

[jimtyrrell]

I've played a few songs by other SongFighters before in my live sets. A couple times I asked permission of the original artist, and a couple other times I performed covers that I had already recorded for side projects and the like. I think in all cases the SongFighter in question has been familiar with my treatment of their tune.
Roy, I'll take you up on your invite for sure. Lemme peruse the catalog. When possible, I record my shows, so I'll pass along a mp3 if I can.

[HeuristicsInc]

doing live covers would be cool, i think.
look at how many covers sf'ers recorded for our hxaro things, which the covered artist didn't know about at all!
i think it would be also cool if you recorded an mp3 for the original artist to hear.
-bill

[Oracle]

Why would the last option on the poll be relevent?
There are actually several websites that publish works such as music/poetry/stories or what have you that force the artist to surrender copyright when they do so.
It's a gigantic scheme to make money.

[roymond]

Why would the last option on the poll be relevent?
There are actually several websites that publish works such as music/poetry/stories or what have you that force the artist to surrender copyright when they do so.
It's a gigantic scheme to make money.

Also, plenty of record companies that do the same.

[Caravan Ray]

I was thinking of starting a thread just such as this one myself

What I do want to ask though is - who has some songs suitable for playing in a solo guy-tar mode that they would like to hear butchered by Caravan Ray? My local pub has a musos night, and to supplement my own material - I'll happily steal other peoples songs. I'll even try to provide a live recording of said song - complete with with the background noise of a genuine Australian pub full of genuine Australian drunks.

If anyone wants to throw up a few suggestions of their songs here - I'll have a listen to them in the archive and see what I can come up with.

[sparks]

I don't think Song Fight! has ever had any aspirations to own the copyright to SF material.

And I think there is some basis by which live covers aren't considered copyright infringement. Some "artist's interpretation" nonsense, isn't there? I'm sure it's been ruled on.

[boltoph]

Let's say I wanted to go down to the local brew-pub on the open musicians night and do some covers of my preferred songfight.org contestant's entries... what would be considered the apropriate way to go about requesting permission for such a distinct show of support and adoration?

I really can't properly vote on this cause yeah, my songs are like my children, but yeah it'd be an honor to have someone cover one of 'em...would be like a school declaring my child an honor student and top of the class!

The only way I could see this being offensive would be if one were to cover a song and claim it as their own. The audience won't know that its not your own tune unless you point out that it's not.

If you have respect for the artist, the proper thing to do would be to give a plug over the mic to the artist and their website (if they have one), and especially a plug over the mic to songfight.org, where you discovered this song and where people can go to hear the tune again. Speak clearly and slowly Too many times at shows do people say stuff between songs and you can't understand a word of it.

Personally, if it were my tune, I'd love to know that it was being covered in advance, because I'd be psyched. My two cents.

[prayformojo]

I cover at least one other fighter's song each time I play live. I also like to cover the covers that other fighters have done of my songs. Plus, I usually cover at least one other non-fighter song. This way I can be a lazy fat ass and still pull off a set with songs no one has heard me perform. The way it's going now I will eventually do nothing but perform 15-16 puzzle songs. I willl be a 15-16 Puzzle cover band. I will change my name to prayfifteen-mopuzzle. The ladies will love me.

[Kamakura]

Therapy is available

[Oracle]

I'm curious to hear how the puzzlenator feels about this...

[erik]

People covering my songs is cool, people making fun of those who cover my songs is not cool.

[Caravan Ray]

I willl be a 15-16 Puzzle cover band. I will change my name to prayfifteen-mopuzzle. The ladies will love me.

Prayfor15-16mojos?

[GlennCase]

The way it's going now I will eventually do nothing but perform 15-16 puzzle songs. I willl be a 15-16 Puzzle cover band. I will change my name to prayfifteen-mopuzzle. The ladies will love me.

I would pay to see this. Hell, I would probably even play in the band.

ROCK!

Glenn (DR FUNK)