Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 2 of 2 1 2
User Showcase
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
I thoroughly agree PITB. It's a left brain right brain thing. I've been playing for 45 years. I've played for some pro players. What I play I play well. I couldn't write a bad song never mind a good one if you paid me a million bucks. There have been a lot tunes posted, that to me based on the stuff I hear out there by pros,that should have stayed in the bedroom. So Michee there are a lot of people that are very good players and thus they think they're good writers. sorry but no.


John
ESI Gigaport HD+
Lenovo Turion II /4 Gig Ram/ Win7x64 be
15.6" Monitor
"The only Band is a Real Band"
www.wintertexaninfo.com/BANDS/JohnnyD.php
User Showcase
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,086
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,086
"If you work on both you can become good at both, but writing doesnt happen automatically u have to learn how."

Absolutely. And playing hit song covers is an excellent way for a song writer to learn chord progressions, song form, timing, arranging, using musical hooks, etc.

User Showcase
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 89
P
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
P
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 89
True, if you see it that way. But if you;re learning just to be able to play the cover at gigs, you wont take in any of it. If your analyzing the covers as you learn them to perform them, then yes you can learn alot.

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,950
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,950
Heres a perspective,

I have been playing guitar for 17 years and never once had any interest in writing my own material. Not to say some day I won't want to write something original, but to this point I have had no interest in this. I love covering covers. In a jazz situation there is immense flexiblity on how the guitar player covers the cover. Jazz allows flexibilty in terms of voicings and rhythms that will still do complete justice to the cover while at the same time satisfying that creative itch.

So while I fully understand the forums policy on cover tunes, I believe it is a loss to us all to miss the offerings of those who are not so interested in original material.

And one last point, when you attend that concert by your favorite band/performer, how excited are you to hear that they will only be performing NEW material. Lets face it, we all like to hear what we know.

One mans opinion.


Retired to Make Music - No Plan B
My SoundCloud
Preview My Current Project .

User Showcase
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
As I said I don't write either but I do take liberties with the tunes I cover. I have an old friend that does Old R&R covers. They sound just like the record. I'm not interested in that either. I'd just like to post what I do with the programs.


John
ESI Gigaport HD+
Lenovo Turion II /4 Gig Ram/ Win7x64 be
15.6" Monitor
"The only Band is a Real Band"
www.wintertexaninfo.com/BANDS/JohnnyD.php
User Showcase
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 89
P
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
P
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 89
I think being able to interpret a song in your own way requires as much skill as writing it.

There's cover bands who do everything note for note, and then there are artists who do cover songs a new way.

User Showcase
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,086
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,086
It's too bad they can't find a way for "educational" purposes maybe with a time limit for how long the link could be active or something. I've enjoyed listening to some covers. And my rendevouz with Russ was fun.

Wonder if everybody made videos - even with a still pic - and linked from youtube if that would work?

User Showcase
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 89
P
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
P
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 89
Actually, no copyright holder is going to come after anyone if they are not making money with it. I have seen covers posted all over the net as well as hosting sites like soundclick and such. And parodies of songs that normally need extra permission posted as well.

The worst they will do is tell you to take it down, in the unlikely event they hear it.

Youtube is a bit tricky because while the person doin the cover is not making money on it(or real money on it),he often provides links to his website with the music that IS for sale.

So the copyright owner can claim that this person is using their material to draw traffic to their own site, which is a legitimate claim.

But again, if the website is getting mimimal hits and the music is selling at a snails pace if at all, then nobody is going to care.

Realistically speaking, you never have to worry about infringing a copyright unless you are making a good amount of money from doing it.

Maybe we can provide links to ALL of our music, and then just refer to it like.

"Yeah I have done a cover of that song, go to my page and check it out" as opposed to giving a direct link.

Cant hold PG responsible for that.

User Showcase
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
PITB,
I agree with you. The problem is that Peter stated :
- The songs must be originals, no copyrighted or "cover" songs. You must have all of the rights to the songs.
So no matter what risk WE would take he is not willing to subject his Company to that risk regardless.
Shoot Russ' cover is still up on the site. Page 2 of off topic.
Cover Tune


John
ESI Gigaport HD+
Lenovo Turion II /4 Gig Ram/ Win7x64 be
15.6" Monitor
"The only Band is a Real Band"
www.wintertexaninfo.com/BANDS/JohnnyD.php
User Showcase
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 89
P
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
P
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 89
I can see the owner not wanting any trouble. He would have more risk than us, lol.

well maybe some enterprising person could start a youtube channel for band in a box cover songs.

Then instead of mentioning here that they did it, they just say "you know there's a youtube channel with Band in the Box covers on it. You should go over there and check it out. etc

User Showcase
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
I have sent, last week, an email to the Harry Fox Agency to see if there is a way to do this properly. I'm not convinced I'll get a reply.


John
ESI Gigaport HD+
Lenovo Turion II /4 Gig Ram/ Win7x64 be
15.6" Monitor
"The only Band is a Real Band"
www.wintertexaninfo.com/BANDS/JohnnyD.php
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,844
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,844
If the RIAA comes after you and you go to court, the fines can be brutal. Under the Copyright Act, juries can award damages of up to $150,000 per pilfered track.

Why take the chance.


John

Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD
Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA

BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK

http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
User Showcase
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,696
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,696
Covers have always been posted here on the various forums. Maybe it's just a case of not appearing to use cover songs to sell the software. I don't play live anymore so I don't work up backing tracks for covers but I definitely would like to hear them. Has anyone ever had PG tell you to remove your posted cover? I've not heard of it.
I post originals because that's where my focus is now - if I was using this software for live gigs, I'd still be asking for opinions on the arrangement i.e. good enough for prime time.


Ian
My "Original Tunes" Site
My gene pool needs more chlorine.
User Showcase
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
I'm sure PGMusic has been approached by music industry lawyers more than once, and I doubt they want to encourage a repeat performance. Although it may be true that an individual who posts illegal music is probably not worth prosecuting, If they felt there was sufficient evidence to implicate PGMusic in a web-based illegal file sharing scheme, they'd be more likely to push it.

If you can find a site where you are allowed to upload covers, there are probably several ways to let people hear them without implicating PGMusic or their forums in any way. For example you could email a few friends privately to let them know the URL... or you could link to an original song that exists on the same page as one cover song.. and after the vistor listens to your song, he/she may go ahead and play the cover too.

In most of the cases where individuals were prosecuted for file trading (as in Napster) the large number of songs the person was making available is what pushed it to a higher level. If you only have one cover at a time on your personal page, and you replace it occasionally, I seriously doubt if you would get nailed. But, for PGMusic's sake, I wouldn't link to that song from here. Robots can archive html links.

User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,792
R
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
R
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,792
Good point PitB, i have a friend that can do just that play licks and riffs from many old classics, but i ask him to play a nice lead on a song we were playing at a party once and he could not pull it off, and i had to pull something outta my back side at the last minute.

Along with what you said about spending time doing covers, most people come to a club or a bar to hear things that are familiar to them, they do not want to hear your originals for the most part. Maybe a open mike night coffee shop, but unless you are somewhat famous forget original tunes, folks are just not that entertained by them. You might slip one or two in, but not a steady diet of them.

If you want to cut an original album, people will listen and buy if 1. you are freakin good, or 2. somewhat famous

If you are not well known your albums sales are going to be few and far between. The internet is flooded with fairly good albums that people have recorded and no one wants to buy.

That's the charm of hanging around a place like this you can share your original tunes with a group of folks that want to hear them. I spend about 4 years over at Acidplanet, and shared my stuff and reviewed a ton of other folks stuff as well it was fun but got old. The real deal was that they only listen to yours to get you to listen to them.

Heck my own wife would rather hear me do old covers of songs she loved growing up than do original tunes. Maybe my originals suck like a hoover deluxe!


HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 188
Apprentice
Offline
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 188
I would like to share and listen to cover tune tracks without melody and words. My understanding is that copyrights don't apply to chord changes. If that is true and the parts are generated by BIAB which allows the use of generated midi or real tracks I don't see how there would be a problem so long as the copyrighted melody and words are omiited. It would be nice to hear the finished arrangement but this would be better than nothing. I have generted hundreds of backing tracks without melodies and words. This is my primary use of the product. I don't see how this violates anyone's copyright. In many cases even the chords are not the same.

What do you think?

User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,792
R
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
R
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,792
DP, that is the whole point of Notes Norton's site he has a plethora of covers without melodies and such, sort of in the style of ish. But i would not suggest posting covers here in any form as Peter ask us not to, i think we should respect that. Maybe someone can setup a small site to allow links and control who is allowed to join. Something like the invision board i have for storage of stuff and general chat. Check it out and at the bottom there is links to where one can download the software. Set it up so that membership is permitted by a mod, and no one can get in without permission. That way the links to covers are private. http://s8.invisionfree.com/GAPers/

Last edited by Robh; 08/07/10 07:40 AM.

HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
User Showcase
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
Quote:

Heck my own wife would rather hear me do old covers of songs she loved growing up than do original tunes.




There's a line in an old James Taylor song where he marvels that people will pay good money to hear Fire and Rain again and again... but I don't think people care if they're hearing that song or any of the hundred other songs they listened to as kids... what they pay good money for is to be transported back to the days of their youth.

There is always a market for a time machine, no matter what form it takes.

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 2 of 2 1 2

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!

All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!

It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.

What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?

XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!

Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!

The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.

The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.

The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.

Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!

Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos

With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.

Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.

Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!

Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.

Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!

Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.

2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.

Holiday Weekend Hours

As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:

April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours

Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!

— Team PG

Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!

If you're already using RealBand 2026 for Windows, download build 10 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!

If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.

Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® users: Build 1237 is now available!

Already a Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows user? Stay up to date and download the build 1237 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.

Forum Statistics
Forums57
Topics86,216
Posts802,019
Members40,070
Most Online64,515
Apr 8th, 2026
Newest Members
Orchestr8, dimtass, Quamido Pirendo, Allan63, isledge
40,070 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 126
zedd 110
DC Ron 93
rsdean 89
Noel96 77
Today's Birthdays
flashlarue, gary133, kirbonite
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5