Well, of
course he wasn't doing a cover- it was
"the very first song." Nothint
to cover, at that point in time.
It seems to me that
somebody's gonna make money off your dream. Perhaps the question is,
"Who?"
Some monster record company, who puts you on the road, picks up the tab but has a small-print clause in your contract that says you are responsible for paying all those bills?
You? I recently read, in "Written In My Soul," by Bill Flanagan, that Chuck Berry takes a very cynical view of his own music- only plays for cash on the barrel head, backed up by a pick-up band, refuses to say that ANY of his songs are favorites or that he even particularly likes them. So, you wanna be like Chuck?
The gear companies? You "invest" $10,000 or more into your own studio, do all the work yourself, and have no obligations to share the fruits of your labors with- however meager they may be.
Maybe a small label, more dedicated to a particular genre' or geographical area, than getting rich? (they exist, but good luck finding one.)
One or more from the above list?
I dunno...