Hello!
Does anyone know if I would come across any legal issues if I were to arrange the latest pop tunes for a group and get money for it? I mean people do it all the time right? If issues could potentially arise, how can they be avoided?
As far as I know the copyright of a song ends 70 years after the owner dies. Technically you need to get permission to cover a song(specially if you're going to record it and make money out of it otherwise you're in for a lawsuit). There are cover bands that make money though..... I know bars and restaurants get a "blanket" license to use the tunes they use. I know a dueling pianos type set up is full of covers and I doubt the musicians are paying for a license.
So if you're making very little money nobody's lawyer is going to bother you I'd think. I've done some shows but at bars and public places my band would play 1 cover. Copyright law is what you want to know more about.
Hope that helps I'm not an expert though!
You mean that you are being paid to arrange songs - right? You're not performing in them, or selling the recordings of them yourself.
That's right David. Just arranging them. Not performing or recording or selling recordings.
Ron, you do not face any copyright legal issues to be hired as an arranger.
If a band records and sells their own recording of your arrangement, they have to pay royalties to the person who wrote the song (or owns the copyright). If you (the arranger) want to receive royalties as well, which is a reasonable request if your arrangement is significantly different than the original song, then I believe you need to get permission from the copyright owner to copyright your arrangement. That's the closest you'd come to any legal issues as an arranger.
Thanks Cameron! That's what I wanted to hear. I appreciate your response.
Cameron said it right - if any issues were to arise, I doubt you would be getting in any trouble as the arranger.
In Canada, copyrights only apply if you were to sell the songs for commercial purposes. You can cover songs live, re-arrange them all you want, even record them without any issue. The minute you are trying to sell the recording though, the copyright police might knock at your door, although I've seen many friends selling demos with cover songs on them without ever getting into any trouble. I guess it all depends on which part of the world you are located in - laws and rules would be different.
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