Question about songwriting credits

[analogue]

Re: credit

It doesn't really matter who actually writes a song as far as credit goes. Anybody can get a credit if they get their name registered at the copyright office. If a person doesn't want credit for whatever reason, they can decline. There was a doo wop group named The Cadillacs, in which the members wrote some of their songs, but their manager registered her name only as the writer, and she had nothing to do with songwriting. In the old days, label people, managers, etc. would often add their names to songs. Ripping off credits was pretty common. Then there's songwriters for hire, who write for a salary or get a fee per song, but does not get any royalties. Writers for hire may or may not be credited. Ghostwriters are not credited. People who write string arrangements for songs are generally not credited as a songwriter.

Some songwriters add family members or friends to songs to help them out financially, although they have nothing to do with the songs. In jazz, sometimes band members help compose songs, but only the bandleader gets the credit. Some bands share credit, even if every member does not participate in writing every song on an album. It might say something like "All songs written by Genesis" instead of listing the individual names. Many Lennon/McCartney songs were written separately, but they made an agreement to credit each other. It was mainly the earlier songs that were written together. Some use fake names to get around contracts or they just don't want to be known. There's the getting a writing credit for recording a song, like Colonel Parker did with Elvis Presley. In the 1970s, James Brown would sometimes use 2 of his daughters name (who were under 10 at the time) instead of his own, so that the taxman would not take his earnings.

I also heard that some producers will give themselves a writing credit so they can have a cut of the royalties. Even if the producer had nothing to do what so ever with creating the song. It's been said that some producers do this with a lot of new artists who may not understand the business that well

Which is why if you're an artist it's important to ask the producer if they give their advice for free

 

[DuranDuran]

dance moves can't be copy written but I believe they can be trademarked..

Also people or companies can be sued for using the likeness to someone.. If done right people could be sued for even copying style!! For example Lindsey Lohan Is suing a fame for using her likeness... and all it is that a celeb being bombarded by paparazzi and going to a hangout spot she frequented.

Prince is well known for shutting down fansites, suing people, not letting old protégés use their band names, and taking down videos from Youtube. But recently he has uploaded his newer songs as 3RDEYEGIRL. After a certain amount of time a likeness or work can be public domain. I think it depends on different criteria. Walt Disney made some of his animated films from stories in public domain like Snow White and Alice In Wonderland. He didn't have to pay anyone or ask permission to use the stories. A particular version of a public domain work can be copyrighted though (ie. The Wiz), but the source story by L. Frank Baum is not. In the same way, a new recording of Mozart or Bach is copyrighted, although the music itself is public domain. You can't use the recording without permission, which is why Mike was sued for Will You Be There.

 

[DuranDuran]

[video=youtube;d9ryPC8bxqE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ryPC8bxqE[/video]
Everything is a Remix (2011) is produced by Kirby Ferguson, a New York-based filmmaker.

Ferguson examines modern attitudes toward intellectual property and how these attitudes rather counterintuitively stifle creativity rather than fostering it.

He illustrates the interconnectedness of our creations and how current laws and norms miss this essential truth.

“The hard truth is that most creations are worthless immediately. Most books, films, albums, computer applications, or whatever else are met with not just indifference but disuse. They basically aren’t read, aren’t viewed, aren’t used. Of the lucky ones that find a modest audience, almost all of those fall into obscurity within a few decades.

"Only a slim minority of works have commercial value after that and current copyright legislation is clearly written for this tiny group. Copyleft activists sometimes refer to this segment as the ‘lottery winners’.”

 

[KOPV]

Paul McCartney pulled a lot of that similar stuff as Prince did, In fact he sued the college I went to for a short time before for using his song in a College play without having the rights to use it...

All in all when it comes to music, an artist has many reasons to get there name on those song writing credits.

Vocalist = $ Writer = $ Producer = $ you get your name on any of those combinations it means more money.. Not only that it gives the singer the view as a true artist when he/she may have not participated much at all in the creative process. MANY singers just show up, pick songs given and sing them, while the producer, song writer, and manager do the rest..

The singer/song writers are actually a lot less far between than most think because what we see on paper is not really true...

 

[analogue]

Going back to Michael's creative process I remember at some point during the Mexico Deposition in 1993 he said that it's very hard to imitate a chord vocally because you only have one voice and he's right about that. So when Michael asked Brad Buxer to play some chords until he heard what he was hearing in his head was done probably because Michael couldn't imitate what he wanted to hear vocally.

 

[HurtMe]

The other artist I think of with a similar process to Michael's is Mariah Carey. She, like MJ, plays the piano but her primary instrument is her voice. So she will most often come up with the melody herself, record it on tape and then get together with a musician to help flush out and produce the music, sometimes the lyrics too. But Mariah, like MJ is the primary songwriter 99% of the time, that's how come they get top billing. Michael never took credit when he didn't write a song, but because he contributed to songs like Butterflies as a producer he did take credit for that. That's how come you'll find Michael sometimes as the sole writer credited, and even producer, in songs like Speechless.

There are some very famous singers, talented as they are, who will change or add a single word in the lyrics less for creative reasons than for the right to collect writing credit and if they are not allowed to, they simply will not record the song. Michael never did that, he had to much respect for the craft of song-writing and too many songs of his own creation from which to draw to ride the coattails of other creatives.

 

[Themidwestcowboy]

The other artist I think of with a similar process to Michael's is Mariah Carey. She, like MJ, plays the piano but her primary instrument is her voice. So she will most often come up with the melody herself, record it on tape and then get together with a musician to help flush out and produce the music, sometimes the lyrics too. But Mariah, like MJ is the primary songwriter 99% of the time, that's how come they get top billing. Michael never took credit when he didn't write a song, but because he contributed to songs like Butterflies as a producer he did take credit for that. That's how come you'll find Michael sometimes as the sole writer credited, and even producer, in songs like Speechless.

There are some very famous singers, talented as they are, who will change or add a single word in the lyrics less for creative reasons than for the right to collect writing credit and if they are not allowed to, they simply will not record the song. Michael never did that, he had to much respect for the craft of song-writing and too many songs of his own creation from which to draw to ride the coattails of other creatives.

Yep pretty much. Another interesting story is the story behind, "Behind The Mask".

 

[HIStory]

Yep pretty much. Another interesting story is the story behind, "Behind The Mask".

Yeah, and I think Eric Clapton did not give credit to Michael on his album even though he used his version?

 

[coffre]

Re: credit

Then there's songwriters for hire, who write for a salary or get a fee per song, but does not get any royalties.

That's was the case of Bill Botrell. Technically he was hired (only) as an Engineer. Shortly after MJs passing he said that he was surprised that he was given credit on songs like Streetwalker or Monkey Business. He said there's no reason for crediting him as he was paid for his time on working on songs/sounds for MJ

 

[analogue]

Re: credit

That's was the case of Bill Botrell. Technically he was hired (only) as an Engineer. Shortly after MJs passing he said that he was surprised that he was given credit on songs like Streetwalker or Monkey Business. He said there's no reason for crediting him as he was paid for his time on working on songs/sounds for MJ

Streetwalker was written by Michael alone

 

[coffre]

^^
yes that's true, he's giving him credits for producing on streetwalker