We Are The Hits (WATH) - Addressing cover song legality issues?

offbeatbryce

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That sounds great! : D Thanks for sharing! I hope it applies worldwide! ^-^ Maybe we could get a list going that tracks this kind of information... ^^
according to my email conversations it's only worldwide if it's allowed. somehow the system will only pay you based on your country.
 

KatyAdelson

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according to my email conversations it's only worldwide if it's allowed. somehow the system will only pay you based on your country.
That sounds great! : D I'm more concerned about strikes over cover songs than getting paid for them... I'd cover all sorts of stuff for free if I didn't have to deal with copyright clearance headaches. It's fun just to play the music. ^-^ I think it's weird that YouTube changes the monitization rules based on which country you upload from... =/
 

offbeatbryce

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That sounds great! : D I'm more concerned about strikes over cover songs than getting paid for them... I'd cover all sorts of stuff for free if I didn't have to deal with copyright clearance headaches. It's fun just to play the music. ^-^ I think it's weird that YouTube changes the monitization rules based on which country you upload from... =/
I think you are confusing strikes vs third party match. YouTube pays a license. Confirmed by the publishers I've talked to
 

KatyAdelson

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I think you are confusing strikes vs third party match. YouTube pays a license. Confirmed by the publishers I've talked to
I was under the impression that strikes are given on a manual basis and I believe they can happen with or without a third party content match... I thought the person submitting the strike just needs to show that they own the content, whereas the third party content match is a robot trying to match uploaded content to a gigantic YouTube library of copyrighted materials...
 

offbeatbryce

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I was under the impression that strikes are given on a manual basis and I believe they can happen with or without a third party content match... I thought the person submitting the strike just needs to show that they own the content, whereas the third party content match is a robot trying to match uploaded content to a gigantic YouTube library of copyrighted materials...
yes that's correct. However Harry Fox Agency who collects royalty fees states on their website that YouTube has a license deal with many publishers to allow copyrighted content on YouTube. Recently the third party match now pays the royalty fee's. It's very rare you would get a strike for a straight cover song. You just can't change the lyrics or overall melody. As long as there isn't any other advertising or product placement in the cover you are fine. Both Warner and Kobalt have an FAQ on cover songs and audio recordings.
 
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offbeatbryce

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now this strange.

The google document I linked before that says how you can share in revenue with certain cover songs, says you can't if it's a concert video. Well I film some concerts with permission of the promoter and artist. As soon as I got the notification "This is a cover song" with the monetize cover song button I tried it on the concert recording and it allowed me to earn money right away.

Maybe because it was recorded at a cafe and not actually a concert venue?
 

offbeatbryce

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Youtube really needs to be more clear about their system of monetizing covers. We need transparency. It would save a lot of guesswork.
I'm going to turn the monetization off. I'm afraid that if I'm not supposed to monetize it I could get in trouble. I was just surprised it never went under review for the owners to check If I was doing anything right or not.
 

WilliamRayWalters

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I'm going to turn the monetization off. I'm afraid that if I'm not supposed to monetize it I could get in trouble.
That's the safe bet. It's just a shame they aren't more clear about it. Like 'what constitutes a 'concert'? Etc. A little info box that explains that would be nice.
 

KatyAdelson

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I would consider a concert anything that had sold tickets involved, or any payment to the musicians to perform..... When I'm paid by the city to play on the street, I consider that a "concert," but if I'm going busking just for kicks and giggles, I'd consider that just any old "performance.." I'd also consider a recital a performance instead of a concert, if it was free to attend.. That's just my definition though... I bet there is a more legal one somewhere.