Quote:
Originally Posted by masraum
The missus and I had lunch today at PF Changs, and I heard 2 different Hall and Oats covers. I was wondering why they wouldn't have used the originals. Is it cheaper to have an unknown group pay a licensing fee and then pay them a lump sum than it would be to pay Hall and Oats royalties? I think I also heard "Under the Milky Way" by the Church, and I think it was the original.
I was wondering if it was a financial thing, or possibly just that they didn't want to sound too retro or old and so went with a fresh remake.
I guess an add-on to this question is how expensive is it to be able to legally cover someone elses' song? Is covering a Beatles or Stones song a lot more expensive than another smaller group? Do you just pay a one time fee or do you pay per play? I've always been curious about that stuff.
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Anyone can get a "mechanical license" to record a cover version of a song. It is fairly cheap (
The Harry Fox Agency) so "soundalikes" will do that then sell their version to other places who don't want to get a performance license from the original artist (which could be big $$$).
Hall and Oates are awesome. Sara Smile is one of the great pop songs of all time.