copyright and indie CDs

Darryl Hattenhauer · Post by **Darryl Hattenhauer** » 15 Aug 2012 12:07 pm

Due to copyright, is it prohibitively expensive to record covers of big names like Dylan, Cohen, Prine, Waits, etc.? I wonder why there are so few of their songs covered, and so many covers of Mickey Newberry, Hoyt Axton, etc.

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 16 Aug 2012 12:40 pm

All songs cost the same to license through the Harry Fox Agency,I believe...

I think it costs about $40 a song,or something like that...

Darryl Hattenhauer · Post by **Darryl Hattenhauer** » 17 Aug 2012 7:08 am

Thanks for the info, Steve. It's not nearly as expensive as I thought.

Darryl Hattenhauer · Post by **Darryl Hattenhauer** » 17 Aug 2012 7:15 am

Thanks for the info, Steve. It's not nearly as expensive as I thought.

Orville Johnson · Post by **Orville Johnson** » 19 Aug 2012 4:39 pm

I believe the current statutory rate is 9.1 cents per song/per CD made. So if you cover a song and press 1000 CDs that song will cost you 91 dollars to license.

Darryl Hattenhauer · Post by **Darryl Hattenhauer** » 19 Aug 2012 5:12 pm

That makes it hard to earn any significant profit. Is it 9.1 cents for all copyrighted songs no matter who wrote it?

Orville Johnson · Post by **Orville Johnson** » 19 Aug 2012 5:34 pm

Yes. That's the rate to get mechanical licenses.If you didn't write it and its copyrighted that's what it costs. If you did 10 cover songs on your CD and pressed 1000 discs it would cost you 910 bucks.It definitely adds up if you're doing all covers with no public domain or original tunes.

PS and it is the same whether Bob Dylan or your buddy down the street (assuming he copyrighted it and registered it with HFA)wrote it.

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 19 Aug 2012 7:14 pm

Yeah...I was thinking more along the lines of 500 CDs...I looked it up too,Orville,and you are right...9.1 cents a copy...