We continue to look at the fundamentals of song copyrights. Eps 6 & 7 looked at the rights inherent in the publishing and the master, and this episode discusses the difference between a re-record version of the song, and a cover version, also known as a “new master”.
You’ll find the full transcript below:
Bruce:
Well, this time we’ll do it with a record button on. We have to do it all again.
Clare:
Oh yeah. Okay. Let’s go.
Bruce:
Hi everyone. Welcome to episode eight, which follows on from six and seven where I talked about music publishing and master copyrights. This time we’re going to explore what that means for doing re-records.
Clare:
Okay.
Bruce:
What’s a re-record?
Clare:
It’s a new song master for advertising, I would say.
Bruce:
That’s right. So essentially, you’ve got the original music master, cover versions, which aren’t made for advertising. Why do people do that?
Clare:
Because they like the song.
Bruce:
They love it. Rerecords are generated by brands and agencies where they want to get a different version of the song specifically for advertising. So they’re commissioning it and they give guidance as to how they want it made. You can’t just make it any way you want. The agency pretty much has control. Sometimes the creatives go into the studio and tell the musicians exactly how to play the song.
But the other reason that a rerecord is different is because you can do a cover version just because you feel like it, but you can’t do a rerecord without permission from the songwriters. So obviously, to make a rerecord, you’ve got to get the music publishing rights, but why do you need to get the permission of the writers to do a rerecord? Why is it their business?
Clare:
Because they own it.
Bruce:
Yeah, they own it. But that doesn’t mean that you have to get their permission to do a cover version.
Clare:
Well, that’s the way it works with songs in advertising. They want to make sure you don’t create a parody.
Bruce:
And they don’t want you messing with it. It’s quite common for the songwriters to want to review and approve a rerecord before you get to air, and they have the final say about whether they’re comfortable with what you’ve done or not. But the other issue here is that you have to be really careful not to do a sound-alike. So you can’t do something that’s exactly the same as the original master. You can’t say, “Oh, we’ll just make a cheap version,” and try and make it the same, because then you’re violating somebody’s master copyright. So you need permission from the publishing copyright, and you need to be careful not to violate an existing master copyright. So you have to make it different.
Clare:
And you can make it different in a few ways. You can change the song lyrics. You can change the music genre. You can change the tempo, but with all of these, you’ve still got to make sure that you’re not violating some music master somewhere that could be a another cover version.
Bruce:
So let’s finish this off. We’ll show you a rerecord that we were involved in recently for an Australian finance company called Pepper Money. It was done via String Theory, a lovely little boutique agency in Auckland, and they did a rerecord of Jake Owen’s “Real Life” changing all the song lyrics, all eight verses. What did you think of it?
Clare:
I thought it was wonderful.
Bruce:
It’s a great ad, isn’t it?
Clare:
Yeah.
Bruce:
So let’s just say, see you later.
Clare:
And if you like it, share it. See you later.
Bruce:
Share it. And let’s just segue into “Real Life” by Pepper Money.
Pepper Money TVC:
Well, I grew up in a real town. The family car was Torana brown. And we really did just drive around because there wasn’t much to do. We didn’t know we were kind of broke. Dad just rolled his own smokes. The girls all talked just like the blokes, and our neighbor had a pool.
Our home is still girt by sea. But life ain’t like on TV. This is real life in the real world. Our stuff is just so normal. Make your thongs curl. It gets real low. It gets real high. It ain’t always good, baby, but it’s all right. Real life.
I’ve worked in bars and played in bands. Had to give it up. Had feet for hands. Real life just had other plans. Then I met Chanel. It was real love for her and me. Got a real job with a real CV. Hadn’t quite planned a family, but I’ll take it any day.
This is real life in the real world. I’ve got a real family with a the real girl. It gets real low. It gets real high. It ain’t always good, baby, but it’s all right. Real life.
Pepper Money, real life loans for real people.
Please contact us if you need help with music searches or licensing songs for advertising campaigns, or just want to chat about music and advertising. We would love to hear from you! About anything really.
bruce at musicmill.com.au
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-tweedie-music-song-mill
Website: www.musicmill.com.au
Credit: the opening and closing sequences feature “Strong Hands” from Ben Catley:
The song: https://soundcloud.com/bencatley/stro…
About Ben: open.spotify.com/artist/66OGdUyXn2WSipn6ZYq7id
Disclaimer re copyright and fair use: https://www.musicmill.com.au/fair-use/
#LIFEONTHEBORDEROFMUSICANDADVERTISING
