The ultimate is having Weird Al spoof your song.Extremely small scale comparison disclaimer:
5 years ago my band was a regional act, had a couple albums out, and played a regular circuit in the surrounding states.
2 local guys covered one of our original songs, tagged us on social media, and did a great job with it.
I can’t ever remember a bigger compliment. Maybe if I was a member of the Stones I would have a different perspective. But from my window it felt damn good. And it goes without saying there was nothing lost or gained financially, so yeah there is that.
Here's another point of view from a musician/patent attorney:According the the drum lawyer they are
“From a legal standpoint, any band can cover a song during a live performance, as a result of blanket licenses obtained and paid for by venue owners to performance rights organizations (PROs) such as SOCAN in Canada and ASCAP or BMI in the United States. In theory, every time a song is covered in a live performance, the original writers of that song get paid. So you can cover any song or series of songs you like onstage, and the venues and PROs will sort out who should be compensated.
With tribute acts, however, more is at stake. Not only are the tribute acts performing the songs of the original act, they are trading off the name, brand, images and reputation of the original act. In the legal world we call this personality rights or the “right of publicity”.
Are Tribute Acts Actually Legal? - Kurt Dahl Lawyer Drummer
lawyerdrummer.com
Anyone can sue anyone for anything. That doesn't mean the suit has merit. There are remedies for defendants who get hit with meritless lawsuits.A quick Google search revealed several tribute acts facing legal heat from, among others, Pearl Jam, Tina Turner and Zeppelin (which left an all-female tribute act facing a $40,000 judgement).
![]()
Singer sued for being too old and ugly for Pink cover band
Pink sings about girl power with an exclamation point — but a Manhattan woman who tried to emulate the Grammy winner is getting bullied by a Long Island man who claims she was too old, ugly and unt…nypost.com
Quick question! Do you have to pay extra for that signature? [Runs for cover].Why is playing one artists music exclusive different from anyone covering any song? I love my tribute band. That being said, I'm not into doing the dress up thing in my band.
Even Weird Al asks permission.The ultimate is having Weird Al spoof your song.
I wonder if the Allman Step-Brothers Band would fly?Here on Long island "The Allmost Brothers Band"
Not sure what you mean… unless you mean my paragraph under my posts. Ha! It sure takes up a lot of real estate, doesn’t it? By the way I did that because I kept getting asked what equipment I have. I do keep it updated.Quick question! Do you have to pay extra for that signature? [Runs for cover].
Weird Al does so because he's a super guy. He's not legally required as parody is the most iron clad use. The big giants are flexing their muscles against legitimate fair use and doing a fine job of shutting it down illegally, but parody is still a free pass. I've heard stuff called 'parody' that was really sketchy - Weird Al is actually making fun of the song.Even Weird Al asks permission.
How grateful I am, that would never have been true for the highly original, prolifically creative Dave Brubeck."Only play your own music..."
That would put an end to many jazz groups, and most (if not all) symphony orchestras.
Yup! That’s what I mean! LOL! Enviable collection!Not sure what you mean… unless you mean my paragraph under my posts. Ha! It sure takes up a lot of real estate, doesn’t it? By the way I did that because I kept getting asked what equipment I have. I do keep it updated.
I wonder if the Allman Step-Brothers Band would fly?
So do you guys think Genesis gets a cut of their revenue in exchange for the exclusive license?Genesis tribute act The Musical Box makes a point of declaring "Exclusively licensed by Peter Gabriel and Genesis." But then, they do get a nice review or two.
"The Musical Box recreated, very accurately I must say, what Genesis was doing. I saw them in Bristol with my children so they could see what their father did back then" - Peter Gabriel
"I cannot imagine that you could have a better tribute for any act. They not only manage to sound, but look virtually identical. It seems as though nothing is too difficult for them" - Steve Hackett
"It was better than the real thing actually. It was great, that was fantastic." - Mike Rutherford
"The guy who does Peter Gabriel is brilliant" - Tony Banks
"They're not a tribute band, they have taken a period and are faithfully reproducing it in the same way that someone would do a theatrical production" - Phil Collins
I don’t see a list of gear ….???Not sure what you mean… unless you mean my paragraph under my posts. Ha! It sure takes up a lot of real estate, doesn’t it? By the way I did that because I kept getting asked what equipment I have. I do keep it updated.