Cover clearification?

Well, I'm kinda embarresed(?). My band are going to play live and we were thinking about covering Det Iskalla Trollblodet. Then one of my friends said that we needed some kind of clearification or something, you know due to copyrights and stuff?
If this is correct, can we cover your song? xD

As far as my knowledge goes, you can cover whatever you want. Only if you play the original record to an audience and you charge them you have to get permission and that will cost you. But maybe check online again, i might be wrong.

As far as my knowledge goes, you can cover whatever you want. Only if you play the original record to an audience and you charge them you have to get permission and that will cost you. But maybe check online again, i might be wrong.

I think you are right. I think I just misunderstood my buddy, or he is just worng, no the first time that has happened ><
But thanks for your answer.

[Ärväthyyll]

If you want to be sure, you might have to check the law of your own country.

As far as I know, here bands don't need permissions, author's rights are included in fees the organisers pay to one organisation that's dealing with that. And I'm sure they don't ask for any permissions either, they just collect the money. So even if Trollhorn as the author of Det Iskalla Trollblodet's music and lyrics wrote here that he's fine with it, that wouldn't mean anything by our law. He's the author, but his word wouldn't count. Neat, isn't it? :/

As i understand it, you are a local band from somewhere that plays at a little gig someplace. No offense, what i want to say is that no none is going to check anyways. In Germany bands do that all the time and i haven't even heard of anyone that bothered thinking about the issue. I mean, you're not playing the record. What you do can be considered an own interpretation of someone elses work. No legal limitations as far as i know. I mean, you wouldn't be charged either for standing up in church next sunday belching out Abba's Dancing Queen, would you? Where's the difference? You haven't written the song and you let an audience indulge in your interpretation of the tune. Still no one will sue you for copyright breachment. Go with that i'd say and see what happens.

[TrollhorN]

Of course you can perform the song´s cover version live, no problems whatsoever. Only if you do an audiovisual commercial product out of it, you need permissions. Heck, how many bands would this world have if they were forced to only play their own material since the first gig.

[Ärväthyyll]

@Trollhorn - Do you ever actually get any money for your songs being performed live by others? Because here I know organisers have to pay 10 % of ticket sales to an author's rights organisation which is then supposed to give that money to the organisation in your country and they to you (OK, that's in theory, because metal bands here can't reach the buttom line to actually get the money). This also has to be paid if you play your own songs.

here. now you got confirmation from the ceo in finntroll. i wonder how many coverbands can claim to be that official?

Of course you can perform the song´s cover version live, no problems whatsoever. Only if you do an audiovisual commercial product out of it, you need permissions. Heck, how many bands would this world have if they were forced to only play their own material since the first gig.

But would be a great thing against unemployment... all those people whose job would be to stroll through all the live-pubs in the world, controlling if anyone plays a coverversion without authorisation...... (where can I sign for that job?)

@Trollhorn - Do you ever actually get any money for your songs being performed live by others? Because here I know organisers have to pay 10 % of ticket sales to an author's rights organisation which is then supposed to give that money to the organisation in your country and they to you (OK, that's in theory, because metal bands here can't reach the buttom line to actually get the money). This also has to be paid if you play your own songs.

wot? thats a joke, istn't it? they charge you for playing your very own music? In germany we only have an organisation you register your music with, and if a third party makes commercial use of it they have to pay you through them. wich makes complete sense to me. unlike the law you were talking about.