Hi,

Can I post cover songs here where I have purchased the rights to play and receive payments for all downloads and can provide proof of this?

Best Regards
Nigel Spiers

“The User Showcase is an area where users of PG Music products (e.g. Band-in-a-Box or RealBand) can post links to their original song compositions, for others to listen to.

The songs must be originals, no copyrighted or "cover" songs. You must have all of the rights to the songs.”


I can only offer the opinion of a fellow forum member so here it goes:

As stated above and copied from this forum header you must own all rights to the songs. Licensing a song does not give you all rights to it. Now If you have purchased all rights then you own it and it would not be a cover song. Licensing a song and receiving performance royalties and, for example, having it on your album does not mean you own it - the writers are still being paid along with your performance payments. The poster should have either written/co-written the song or have created a version of a public domain song/poem that does not infringe upon any copyrighted versions (in this case you own all the rights once you create a recording). Now that’s my interpretation of the guidelines and the way we have followed them for years. Others members perspectives may vary.

Cheers

Bud

I listened to several cover songs posted on the "I just heard Band-in-a-Box on YouTube" section of the forum...
But they seem to be restricted to YouTube presentations...
Hope this helps.

I agree with Jim that posting them on You Tube and linking to that might be the ticket. It is a good question for the forum owners. I've been around only long enough to know that a common trait is that Band in a Box software is the theme of this forum. I've seen the software develop in a short time from useful in practice and development tracks to outright legitimate accompaniment tracks. Hearing what people do with the software can be amazing.

What’s the difference in posting your cover song to YT or SoundCloud or any other hosting site and then linking here? Would not that still violate the policy? Now linking to a YT song that was not yours to show something of interest about BiaB would seem to meet the intent of the YT forum. FWIW, etc.

Bud (AKA old curmudgeon )

I've no answer for that one, Bud. I recall reading a comment from PGM that seemed to sanction links, suggesting that might relieve the forum of liability. As a member of the PD community, a self righteous lot I might add, I look at rights' issues a lot. I think it would be a dangerous precedent to work around the no cover rule just because the rights have been obtained. Think of what that might be asking for. I'll bet the law would require the exhibitor, forum, or what have you, the medium, to know the material was legal. I know you have a hell of a time getting a radio station to play anything but a verified label.

Nigel, you should really ask PGMusic about this. Members of these forums are only users and can not dictate policy. Ask the right people, PGMusic, for the correct answer.

Personally I do some covers, as a couple here can be my witness, but I do not post them on any forum.