Welcome to Writers Talkback. If you are a new user, your account will have to be approved manually to prevent spam. Please bear with us in the meantime
I have completed a novel set in the USA in 1963. Originally, I began each chapter with lyrics from songs, primarily blues music. I eliminated these when I realised that A) it could cost me plenty in publishing rights and B ) they were probably not necessary and were only there to show how clever I was.
However I would like to keep some quotes in the text from a couple of songs that are central to the story.
Do I have to get permission for this? If so, who should I direct the question to and how much is it likely to cost?
Hope someone can help.
Comments
If you're just mentioning the title that's okay, but even a few words from a song needs permission.
See this: http://blog.sonicbids.com/who-owns-that-song-how-to-research-copyright-ownership
How to Use Lyrics Without Paying a Fortune or a Lawyer:
https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2015/03/how-to-use-lyrics-without-paying-a-fortune-or-a-lawyer/
call you that).
Probably better and less hassle to do without the lyrics then. Shame.
Yes, it is a shame because we seek to promote fellow artists' work by including their lyrics in our own work. I've suffered no problems in gaining approval to quote from books (including Penguin Random House) but when it came to three lines of a song - by British artists - I was up against the proverbial brick wall.
Rather than an atmosphere, I wanted certain songs to be playing in a club which my hero would relate to his life in a direct way through the lyrics. I can see the desire to protect copyright but there must be a cross-over point where it can help the publishers by turning on new people to their music ..... or maybe they don't think so?