Cover versions...

Hootsmon

If you are a song writer with a successful album with good songs under your belt and someone ( another star) wants to cover and release on their own album or single, one of your songs....can you refuse them permission?

Plectrum

A quick google around suggests that you can't as long as they've got all the Is dotted and Ts crossed and pay the copyright fees. I've only ever written one song and that was rubbbish so my personal experience in this are is somewhat limited

Hoof

Doubt it. There were cases about sampling in the earlier days of hip hop and dance music and if I recall they were all resolved in an order to pay royalties to the original artists. No songs were ever banned on this basis. I suppose a cover version that the original artist disapproves of would have a similar outcome.

fob

I believe Robert Smith stopped someone from being him on 'Stars in Their Eyes' by refusing to let them use a Cure song and so the guy didn't get to appear. I think they should have let him on anyway - a Robert Smith look-a-like doing a Tina Turner song would surely have won it.

Hootsmon

What got me thinkin' was I heard Something on the radio today by Shirley Bastirt and I thought to myself, bloody hell, that's beyond crap......Hmmm I wonder if George could've said no way Shirley love, you can't cover it....

TheBigDipper

hootsmon said:

If you are a song writer with a successful album with good songs under your belt and someone ( another star) wants to cover and release on their own album or single, one of your songs....can you refuse them permission?

If you've got a career with published songs, chances are you've already sold the right to say anything about what happens to your work to the publishing company - depending on the contract you signed with them.