Hi all, back again, just got done moving and got internet access. Praise the Lord or whichever diety, organization, or object you worship.
First of all, I was horribly disappointed that the thread was closed. I drove 800 miles and had no less than seven additional songs to add to the mix. Sigh. I guess I will have to find another outlet for my creativity. I wonder if Weird Al Yancovich is looking for an understudy.
**Mach V, Detop, ** and everyone else who expressed deep appreciation for the subtle art of Mod harrassment, I thank you.
And Eutychus, your song was phenomenal.
To make this thread legit for Cafe’, let me ask:
What is a copyrighted lyric and why would I want one?
The move went great, unless you count the broken foot.
Stupid dog. I was carrying something down stairs the day we got here and one of the puppies put his head under my foot. I shifted my step, missed a stair, and went tumbling down. Crutches, pain, and many many jokes from family members.
On the plus side, it DID happen before we unloaded the trucks, so I didn’t have to carry anything heavy. Those jokes weren’t so funny when they were carrying in all of the furniture. Heh heh heh.
A copyrighted lyric would be any lyric from a song from the past 90 years, like, “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.” (One single line isn’t any problem, I think.)
Hey, welby1! Welcome back! I was dissapointed that our lovely song thread was closed before you made it back. Just as I was beginning to get inspired, too. (and what am I going to do with this song I have, entitled “Euty Illin”?)
Anyway, to keep with the subject matter:
Is it possible to purchase only partialcopywrited lyrics? Or rather, rights to just use partial lyrics? Take for instance, the above example of “yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away”. If my company wants to use that phrase as a slogan in an ad, must the entire song be purchased? Or simply royalty fees paid out to the owner? How the heck does that work?
If you plan to use recognizeable song lyrics for a slogan, you’d better work out an agreement with the songwriter. Otherwise, you could be sued for infringement.
Usually, you go to ASCAP or BMI or whatever and pay the licensing fee, the same way you’d do if you used the entire song. There are also issues about using a song for a commercial purpose (i.e., an ad); the song’s owner has to agree to it.
So if you want to use the lyrics of any Beatles song (except for “Golden Slumbers,” which is public domain), you need to pay royalties.
The copyright holder owns the rights to the songs. It’s up to him what he wants to sell, who he wants to sell it to, and at what price. If you can convince the rights-holder to sell you one line, that’s OK, but if you can’t, you can’t. (In the music world it’s actually a lot more complicated than this, but you get the gist.)
