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McAnally's (The Community Pub) => Author Craft => Topic started by: Uilos on August 15, 2007, 05:04:50 AM

Title: Use of Music
Post by: Uilos on August 15, 2007, 05:04:50 AM
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?

Title: Re: Use of Music
Post by: Spectacular Sameth on August 15, 2007, 05:22:09 AM
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.
Title: Re: Use of Music
Post by: Kiriath on August 15, 2007, 06:08:51 AM
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.
Title: Re: Use of Music
Post by: Spectacular Sameth on August 15, 2007, 10:06:01 PM
Yeah, if you use like a lyric or two, it's less of a big deal as if you put in several lyrics.
Title: Re: Use of Music
Post by: The Dread Pharaoh Roberts on August 15, 2007, 11:18:35 PM
Pretty sure the music companies will raise hell if you reproduce any recognizable snippet of lyrics without appropriate permissions.  They're annoying that way...
Title: Re: Use of Music
Post by: meg_evonne on August 16, 2007, 01:40:54 AM
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.
Title: Re: Use of Music
Post by: Uilos on August 19, 2007, 09:05:21 PM
Ok, the next part of my question is this:

Does music have any influence in the things you write, or how you write?
Title: Re: Use of Music
Post by: CrazyGerbilLady on August 20, 2007, 05:37:41 AM
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 ...
Title: Re: Use of Music
Post by: ihatepeas on August 20, 2007, 11:05:34 PM
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