Use of Music

[Uilos]

Hey gang, more questions from the clueless wonder.

For years, everytime I hear music, I can see scenes of stories in my head. In fact, most of my novel is derived through one point or another through music. It's to the point where it's incorporated into some of the dialouge, and the music itself is written in lyric form and even discuss it at to an extent.

Now, for those of you in the biz, if I want to get this novel published, do I need to get copyright from the singer/writers of these songs? Or by citing them in the novel itself, am I covering myself?

[Spectacular Sameth]

I don't really know, but I have seen in the publishing information at the front of one of the Dean Koontz book (and in one of the Stephen King books) there's a line in there that the lyric is copyright by a band or whatever. So yeah, you can include the music in there, but I don't know about legality or anything like that.

[Kiriath]

I'm not sure, but I think you have to get the copyright.

Maybe it's different if you use less of the song? I'm not actually sure.

[Spectacular Sameth]

Yeah, if you use like a lyric or two, it's less of a big deal as if you put in several lyrics.

[The Dread Pharaoh Roberts]

Pretty sure the music companies will raise hell if you reproduce any recognizable snippet of lyrics without appropriate permissions.  They're annoying that way...

[meg_evonne]

When we use music as a background to a radio ad for theater---we pay for a membership so it's legal.  Pretty sure the music companies could come after you if the book became common knowledge out there.

[Uilos]

Ok, the next part of my question is this:

Does music have any influence in the things you write, or how you write?

[CrazyGerbilLady]

It's not unusual for what I write to be inspired either by music or a video.  I have a short story in progress directly inspired by a rock video ...

[ihatepeas]

Nothing of mine has sprung directly from music, but I find it very helpful when I write. It blocks out other noise, and when I find something with a mix of fast and slow songs, intense and light, it's good background. I've taken to burning CDs for every novel, sort of like a soundtrack. Thinking about the kinds of music my characters would listen to, or the songs that might describe them, gets me a little deeper into their heads, and that's always a good thing.

--Sarah