PG Music Home Forums General Discussion I just heard Band-in-a-Box on YouTube Cover in a week site

Hi guys
I recently found this site Cover-in-a-week where they select a song and musicians record a cover version of the song. Then, there maybe a chance that they use that cover version for TV or advertising licensing.

Here is my first submission to the site. It is my cover of “Dancing in the Moonlight”, made 100% with Band-in-a-Box in a couple of hours using a combination of midi and realtracks.

Great version of the song, Joanne. Yours has a more melancholy feel to it which gives it a little bit of dichotomy against the poppiness of the original song. Don't know if that was your intent, but just what I heard. Great different feel and the vocals and harmonies are spot on.

Thanks John. The harmonies on this one are just one octave up. I have gotten even lazier with my harmonies lately (if that is even possible). I will be writing a blog post on how I do that shortly.

Really terrific Joanne, love it.

What jford said here basically hit the nail on the head - I totally agree with him! This reminds me of the best traits of my favourite cover songs: taking something you didn't write, and recreating to be your own. Very distinguishable from the original indeed.

Great work Joanne You did some justice to this tune - thanks for sharing!

Very nice !!

Trax

Thanks so much guys.

I had some good news on this too... Cover in a week have decided to licensed this cover song so there is a chance it may be used in advertising etc. They also asked that I submit more covers.

Further to David’s post about Biab and songtradr and music supervisors, http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=463252#Post463252 ...you can do anything you set your mind to do with BIAB! It is THE most amazing tool for quickly making cover versions of songs as well as many many other things.

Here is my second entry “this is love” by Bob Marley



Next up is “Hit me baby one more time”

Congrats! Sounds great. I've been wanting to participate in that contest but I haven't had a chance yet.

Another winner Joanne!!

Congrats Joanne!

Great job! I really like how you transformed the song.

This is SUCH a cool concept. I would love to see other BIAB users participating in this.

The first volume of "The Best of Cover of the Week" has been released on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon and it is a GREAT listen.

My song "Dancing in the Moonlight" is there among some other really fantastic (and different) covers.

The Best of Cover in a week Volume 1 on Spotify

On ITunes

On Amazon

The most fascinating thing is listening to the whole album in the car on the way to work this morning and hearing my own cover alongside these other "amateur" type productions . I immediately noticed how cloudy my mix becomes as soon as the bass comes in. hmmm... something to sort out next time. It is also interesting to note what type of covers appeal to the people who select "The best of" versions.

Let me know what you think of the album.

Great cover Joanne. I listen to a lot of acoustic covers of the latest tracks. There are some wonderful songs out there. Given time, I'll have a shot at it.

Re: "I immediately noticed how cloudy my mix becomes as soon as the bass comes in. hmmm... "

Certainly the mix I heard (not on the radio) was absolutely excellent.

Enjoyed this from start to finish.

This sounds like my dream concept right there!

If only you had provided a direct link to the site itself.

Hi Joanne,

Congratulations! Being 1 in 12 is a really fine accomplishment. Nice work!

All the best,
Noel

Quite right Eddie. +++ HERE +++ you go!

Thanks for the support guys. I appreciate it.

My Covers of "Is This Love" and "Baby One More Time" have also be licensed so maybe we will see them on the next "best of cover in a week" albums.

This week's cover was Cliff Richard's Summer Holiday. I decide to do an instrumental version (I don't think I could do justice to the vocal on this).

Brilliant, thank you!

PER PIACERE COME SI CHIAMA QUESTO ACCORDO :
la# sol do mi - l'ho incontrato suonando un brano con la chitarra E' certamente un DO .
Ma quel basso #LA ... modifica l'accordo ... come chiamarlo ?

Google instant translation from Italian:

"FOR PLEASURE HOW TO CALL THIS AGREEMENT:
the # sol do mi - I met him playing a song with the guitar It's certainly a DO.
But that low #LA ... change the agreement ... what to call it?"

I'm not sure of the question so I'll leave it at that.

Looks like I cheered too soon, for right after making my last post in this thread - a month ago - I followed that link and submitted my two primary emails to that place in good faith.... and not so much as a word back yet!

Hi Eddie

You should get an email with the current song of the week to cover. I got one on Tuesday. This week's song is Robbie Williams "Feel". You can also follow their facebook page where they make the announcements.

Thanks, I was getting quite frustrated (and suspicious of these guys) over not hearing anything from them... which I still haven't, btw, so if this is all working fine and dandy for you, then something is seriously amiss here

Here is a cover for the latest www.coverinaweek.com challenge that I produced featuring my duo partner Lebz Muzo and guitar teacher Micah Myers. Lebz just had the right kind of voice for this unusual song. He sang the lead, did all the backing vocals and recorded the guitars all in about 1/2 an hour flat. Micah provided the lead guitar. I used BIAB for the drums, bass and electric piano.

I would love to see some othe BIAB users participate in these challenges

I even sent these guys a direct email message - not a word back.

I'm now wishing I never heard of them in the first place

Semplice, è Do7 con la settima al basso(La# più comunemente indicato come Sib). Ha una sonorità molto particolare e gradevole che lo rende però difficilmente distinguibile dai rivolti più comuni dove la settima non è al basso. E' un rivolto comune nella bossanova (ad esempio "Agua de março" di A.C. Jobim). Ciao

Translation of anzonche comment per Google:

Simple, it is Do7 with the seventh at the bottom (La # most commonly referred to as Sib). It has a very particular and pleasant sound that makes it difficult to distinguish from the most common revolts where the seventh is not at the bottom. It is a common address in the bossanova (eg "Agua de março" by A.C. Jobim). Hello

Huh?

All I get is an error message when i try to upload. There's a bar that says 33% done even though I haven't uploaded anything yet. Then it tells me artist name and genre are wrong. After two days of this, I'm giving up. I don't see how to contact or get any help. Hope they fix it.

Hi Josie
If I remember correctly just press “Next” and the upload will continue.

UPDATE: They sent me a very nice email with alternate uploading instructions. So I sent one. Fingers crossed they like it. If I get in I'll add a link when I hear back.



Wish it would. When I click next I get "There was a problem with your submission. Errors have been highlighted below." And there's an asterisk by artist name and genre. I sent them an email just now.

Be My Baby - Done with BIAB of course. My first one on the cover in a week channel! I had so much fun doing this song I hope you guys like it too.

Hi Josie

That was excellent and well produced, loved your vocals, did you do all the vocals ?.

I love that era so many songs, artists and variety that I don't think we will see again.

Josie,

That was really terrific work. I loved the harmonies, the groove, the arrangement, the production and all glued together with your fine singing!

In a word.... superb!

All the best,
Noel

Josie! That is awesome. Well done. Welcome to the channel. It really is such fun.

Cover in a week have now released 3 albums on iTunes etc. I think I have about 4 tracks selected for the albums and am patiently waiting for the $ to start rolling in lol!

Glad to see Josie has joined in the fun and hope to see other Biab users there soon.

Here is my cover of “Can’t take take my eyes off you”

Joanne,

You've done a really great job with this. I totally enjoyed listening. This is one of my all-time favourite songs!

Regards,
Noel

Thank you so much Noel

Great job Joanne! And thank y'all very much. I've been dealing with life distractions but hope to do another one soon.

Josie, just had a listen to your song, twice actually
Excellent! Your vocals are fabulous and I like your arrangement too.
Well done!

Here is our latest “cover in a week” with my friend Karen Wilmot. Made 100% with biab, which really is the most awesome tool for this. What I do is set up the song structure in Biab and then try out all sorts of different styles. I then pick one that I like and record the cover. With the “cover in a week” site they like it if you do something quite different from the original so you can try covering, say, a country song in a jazz style. Perfect fodder for Biab. Hope to catch some of your Biab covers on the site. Ps the next one is truly madly deeply by savage garden.

This is getting more and more infuriating!!

They still haven't shown any indication of my signing up at all, for neither of the emails I submitted. So I still don't fully know how to take part in this, let alone what projects are being asked for each week.
And I am NOT signing up to ruddy spyware FB just for these email-snatching twats - there has to be another way?!

Why the hell aren't they answering me back?!?

Icelander, I used gmail. You might check your junk email folder to be sure.

Great job to you too Joanne and thanks so much to all of you guys!

I had already thought of that, but no such luck. Which is precisely why I went in again with a completely different email, didn't get any response to that one either...and still haven't from either of my two additional direct email messages to them asking about it to boot.
I am very displeased!

Just did a search on spotify for Cover in a week. Very impressed. 3 volumes of songs. I counted no less than six great tracks from Joanne. The final mix for each volume is impressive. I wonder how they mastered all the tracks?

How does one submit to their YT channel anyway, if anyone can elaborate on that? I know basically how to submit to my own, but to someone else's??

New cover made with Band-in-a-Box, recorded, mixed and mastered in RealBand in a couple of hours on Sunday. It is definitely easier if you already know the song and this is one I absolutely love. Made the midi flute from my vocal using Melodyne.




PS Eddie. PM me your email address and I will email them and ask them to reply directly to you.

Will do.

You upload the video or audio file of your cover song to the Cover in a Week website (they say a maximum of 500 MB) and then they put it on their Youtube channel. You should then share the link to the song on their channel on your social media. You may not release your recording of the song anywhere else (I think it is about for about 6 months).

They will let you know if they want the right to release the cover song on iTunes, Spotify etc via The Orchard. If they do want to release your cover they will let you know and you send them the final high quality wav file (via dropbox or wetransfer).

If they do release the song it will be on one of the "The best of Cover in a week" albums and The Orchard will organize all the required licenses and (eventually) Cover in a week will pay you 50% of the money they receive from The Orchard. They also say that you might get synch opportunities on the song but I have not received any yet.

I think Cover in a Week are also doing some promotion on the songs they release (at least I hope they are) as I got a message from a local radio station saying they were playing one of my covers on the radio and wanted to interview me as well.

Clear as mud?

Ah, that explains a lot right there, thanks!
Does that mean this whole thing is limited to american submissions?! I can't quite envision the scenario of some american radio station going to the lengths of interviewing some obscure nobody all the way up here, you know

p.s. I've sent you that PM, btw. Thanks for offering to assist.

No it is not restricted to American entries. I think the owners of “split sounds” which is the company that runs cover in a week are South African so probably know some of the South Africa djs.

I'm not on any of those pryware places like facebook, instagram or twitter & whatever else there is out there, so my own YT channel would be my first choice. What about to my own YT channel, or does that count as a "release" and thus a violation?

I keep asking you about these things, btw, because they still haven't managed to reach me. I only knew about last week's song challenge because you told me, have no idea what's up next/now

Props to you for not just doing a near-replica like I see all the others have.
I actually submitted my own take on this one. It's not up on their channel (yet), either because I missed the deadline or because my version is just too far out there

EDIT: It's up now... quite a different take on the song, I know, but isn't that the whole point?

My first entry is up, whoo-hoo!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=depg_5FEXAs

Very Cool Icelander. It was worth the wait!

Oh phew, that's a relief!

Many thanks to JC for all the help, I literally couldn't have done it without her input

This was a lot of fun, I just might do another one, if they let me..and if I can find out their next songs ...

They've finally added another of my submissions, yayh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-hXteQRyWU

p.s. Points if you can figure out from what other Beatles song I nicked the core bass line...