What is a cover?
A cover is a reinterpretation, literal or not, of a previously commercially released song performed by someone other than the original composer or artist. When we say "literal or not" we refer to the arrangement, as there are reinterpretations that claim to be as faithful as possible to the original material, such as the following:
Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit (cover by Sershen & Zaritskaya feat Kim and Shturmak):
Comparing the cover to the original song, we find that the instrumentation, sound and the execution -except for the guitar solo- seek to be a faithful replica of the original Nirvana song released in 1991. If you’re curious about what genre this song belongs to, be sure to give a read to our grunge article!
Nirvana – Smells like Teen Spirit:
In contrast, covers can be complete re-imaginations of the original material, where the instrumentation, arrangement, style and even the song’s intention are changed. Whether these pieces fall into the category of covers or derivative works is difficult to say, but artistic cunning is appreciated when doing something different to add to the original material.
Paul Anka - Smells Like Teen Spirit:
Of course, by differing so much from the original, it doesn’t meet the needs of a bar-type business, where people expect to hear faithful reproductions of their favorite artists.
This musical model isn’t just a matter outside the great music industry gear, since even the most famous artists are used as a marketing strategy to make a new version of a classic song in what seems like a safer bet from a commercial point of view. Such was the case with Rihanna with "Umbrella":
Rihanna – Umbrella (Orange Version) ft. Jay Z:
Despite having a relatively successful career leading up to the release of her third album "Good Girl Gone Wild," it was this song that put her on the international scene and the one that definitely sent Rihanna to stardom.
Here’ the original:
Manic Street Preachers – Umbrella:
That said, a very interesting phenomenon can happen: The cover itself is able to surpass the original. We’ll take as an example legendary Bob Dylan’s music, a renowned American singer and author of classics such as “Like a Rolling Stone”, “Blowing in the Wind”, “Mr Tambourine Man” and “All Along The Watchtower”.
At first, Dylan was someone who betted on minimalism, understandably driven by his folk roots. He created an extensive catalog with some of the most iconic songs of all time and even though part of the charm is their simplicity, at the end of the day they can be taken as a canvas ready to be painted in different colors.
Let's take “Mr Tambourine Man” for example. Here’s the original version, with a minimalist arrangement and economic instrumentation:
Bob Dylan - Mr. Tambourine Man:
Now, let's compare it with The Byrds version:
The Byrds – Mr Tambourine Man:
Suddenly, this simple song is reinvented with voices, electric guitars, and joyous percussion. Another example where the cover catapulted the career of a new artist.
Let's not forget the case of "All Along The Watchtower":
Original - Bob Dylan - All Along The Watchtower:
Cover - The Jimi Hendrix Experience – All Along The Watchtower:
The psychedelic energy and the ensemble’s skill take this already-good song to a completely different level.
Speaking a bit from the legal aspect, covers belong to their authors, which means mechanical royalties such as purchases in physical format like CDs and vinyl records, as well as reproductions in digital formats in Spotify and YouTube.
Previously it was one hell of a ride to create these covers, since you needed the original composer’s authorization to be able to commercialize the piece, this was almost impossible without connections or support from a label. This problem was somewhat solved with music distribution services such as CD Baby, Tune Core or Reverb Nation, but currently a platform like www.easysonglicencing.com is required to achieve it. You pay a mechanical license of sixteen dollars, plus certain royalties that the song generates. However, you’ll need a special personal license in case you want to:
- Change lyrics or melody
- Use a previously unreleased song
- Want to use it in some other format other than private consumption such as performance or karaoke
- If you are not licensed in the United States
This includes YouTube videos, theater productions and parodies among other formats.
To access this type of license, an application must be made and once approved by the person in charge of economic rights, you pay a fee for the mechanical license that may vary depending on the song’s use. The charge is different for an independent production and an international Coca Cola ad, for example.
You can consult more information on this page:
https://www.easysonglicensing.com/
Finally, we have to explain the difference between a cover and a derivative work. While the former is an interpretation respecting the melody, lyrics and arrangement in general, the latter alters the original product in a significant way. Parodies, translations, medleys (a set of songs played non-stop) and sampling such as breaks in EDM fall in this category. If you’re about breaks, check out our Drum & Bass article!
One fact to take into account is that a composer maintains the economic rights over his works until seventy years after his death, one hundred and twenty if the work was commissioned and is counted since its creation. Once the period ends, they become public domain, this means the author’s relatives are no longer paid for their reproduction or reinterpretation. This is the case for Mozart and Beethoven, whose scores are free on sites such as IMSLP, the International Music Score Library Project.
Mozart Requiem Rock:
What about you? Do you have a favorite cover? Tell us about it!
https://support.cdbaby.com/hc/en-us/articles/204498285-What-IS-a-cover-song-
https://www.easysonglicensing.com/
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rihanna
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derecho_de_autor
https://es.cdbaby.com/license-cover-song.aspx
https://www.easysonglicensing.com/pages/services/cover-song-licensing/clear-cover-songs.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_law_of_the_United_States
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