Writing vs. Co-writing

Jack Russell

Jack Russell

I smell home cookin!
Here's a question about authorship:

I have a tune which I finished a few years ago. Words, chords, and melody. It was a dark, haunting tune in a slow 4/4 beat. O.k., it was actually a Death March. Hahaha! :eek:

Anyway...I've been playing it with some other musicians, and one of them suggested we switch the tune into a more jazzy swingy 6/8 feel. It was a definite improvement. It began to move and have a nice feel.

Then another member of the band suggested a different 'feel' in the melody as well. He gave the vocal a try, and presto, yet another improvement.

Now the song has more snappy feel, but is still true to the original words, chords, and melody (although a few notes have indeed been changed).

So: Is the song still mine? Would I be the only composer, or would it now be a group composition? :confused:

Sorry I can't post the song. It would take too much time.
 
I'm not an expert on this, but I believe that technically you are still the author of the song. The things they have changed like "feel" and time signature are issues of arrangement. I know that bands like U2 do attribute the writing to the entire band when the actual melody and words were penned by one or two individuals, but I don't think it's required.
 
Having said that, if a few notes have changed, it wouldn't be inappropriate to give a ten percent authorship or something like that.
 
corban said:
Having said that, if a few notes have changed, it wouldn't be inappropriate to give a ten percent authorship or something like that.
Click to expand...

That's my feeling about it as well. So, suppose it becomes a hit with royalties (which ain't gonna happen--10% of nothing is nothing--haha), would that be a clause in the copyright submission?

I almost never cowrite with anyone. When I do, it is something that comes from scratch at the start, not a new arrangement.
 
In the copyright you would identity the writer co-writer based on %. Any fees paid by ASCAP/BMI or a publisher would be based on that %.
 
You could probably say that the original composition in 4/4 is yours and that this particular arrangement is a communal work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top