Promoting your music

Lots of Karaoke Version users ask us about promoting their re-recorded version of songs on YouTube, and other social networks like SoundCloud, Facebook, etc.

We thought we’d address your questions with a quick and simple overview of how to legally go about it.

How does it work?

Let's take a simple example... you've recorded your version of your favorite song. It could be that the artist alone has written, composed and produced your favorite song. But more than likely there have been other artists, musicians, producers, etc. that have made contributions along the way. Or maybe, you have recorded a version that is slightly different from the original, adding another element and more people to take into account. All of these elements must be considered before distributing your version.

Every copyright holder or contributor to the work, is entitled to collect a fee when you use his work.

The musical composition (associated with the author) and the music recording of the composition (which can be of a well-known artist or a re-recording as is the case with Karaoke Version) are different. One single composition therefore often has several different recordings, as an example take a cover that reworks the recordings of great artists with different singers and musicians.

Where do I get the proper authorization to share my version?

There are specific organizations that exist in order to make the licensing process easier for the author's rights (composition). In general, you can contact the publishing house or your local performance rights orgnanization (PRS in the UK, GEMA in Germany, BMI or ASCAP in the USA), who can in most cases provide you with a quote that is adapted to your project.

Next step is to make sure that you obtain the appropriate licensing for the musical production. If it is a track that you’ve downloaded from Karaoke Version, get in touch with us and we will be happy to propose solutions adapted to your project. In certain cases we can even provide you with free licensing for certain projects. Contact us for more information.

To note: In certain cases, you may still need to cover additional rights on top of composition and production rights. Again, we suggest getting in touch with your local Performance rights organization.

Published on: 1 August 2016