Tribute bands and copyright issues...

[Cecil6243]

How do Tribute bands sidestep copywrite issues? Is it due to time running out on copyrights, they are paying some kind of fee, or something else?

I see a Beatles tribute bands is coming to place near me, and a while back someone did Billy Joel and Elton John.

Just curious.

[mike o]

Following.

I do not know the answer. I never understood the appeal of tribute bands in the past when they started being a thing. I guess 10-20 years ago. Being on stage pretending to be someone else is something I personally wouldn’t do. Now with all of our hero’s passing, I see the value in them. We went to see Bee Gee Gold this past Friday. They are a national touring act from Vegas and really good.

[JonPR]

I don't know about the US, but here in the UK venues usually pay for a license for live music, and bands needn't do anything.

Just occcasionally, at more prestigious venues, we've been asked to fill in a list of the songs we'll be playing. But in nearly 60 years of gigging, I can only remember litereally 2 or 3 times that's happened. Mind you, 99.9% of those gigs have been in pubs, college clubs, or functions (weddings and so on).

I don't play in a tribute band, btw, but almost everything I've played, in all the bands I've been in, has been covers. (In my current band, I guess it's around 20% original songs, but that's a lot higher than most bands I've been in.)

Personally, I think tribute bands are quite fun, and can be really impressive - up to a point anyway. I've only ever seen one live - a Stones tribute band - and that was because the drummer was a friend (had been our drummer). They were great, because they didn't take themselves too seriously. (The second guitarist just changed wigs in order to be Brian Jones, Mick Taylor or Ron Wood. And they had fake "vox" covers draped over their amps.) But the music was excellent - those songs are great whoever is playing them, and they played them well.

[Bob Womack]

The basics of performance copyright place the financial burden on the venue. Tribute bands are n the same category as cover bands as far as royalties are concerned.

However, it doesn't end there. The big guys have managers whose job it is to protect their trademark, and some are more aggressive than others. A composer friend runs a group of bands that tour constantly. Their formula is as follows: My friend has written arrangements of songs from popular bands that involve a symphony orchestra. His techs arrive on day one and set the stage. The whole rig is designed with everything except the drums run as silent stage with modelers so that the orchestra isn't uncomfortable. The cover band arrives in the city that night and rehearses on day 2 for one (1) union session with the orchestra. They perform that night and the whole rig is out the door before the grips union goes into overtime. It is terribly popular with the orchestras because it is organized, well-scored, professional, respectful of the orchestra, has a huge draw, and makes money. The copyright paperwork is done by my friend's company so the orchestra doesn't even have to fill it out. His bands are on the road most of the year. The original bands see it as a way to keep their name out in the public and keep the royalty stream active.

The acts are billed as "A Night of XXXXX music with the ZZZZ Orchestra" with the band name being the XXXXX. That's Journey, Queen, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, etc., just not the Eagles. My friend's company ran an Eagles show along with the rest and it was wildly successful. In fact, the audiences for the Eagles "Night of" began to exceed those of the touring Eagles show specifically because it was first rate and its ticket prices were far below those of the Eagles' show. Then my friend got a "cease and desist" letter from the lawyers at Full Stop Management, aka Irv Azoff. They weren't breaking any laws, they weren't infringing on a trademark. My friend attempted friendly negotiations. Hard wall. This was simply a power move. Full Stop had enough money in their legal fund to sue my friend out of business before a judgement could be reached. So he ceased and desisted, and Full Stop immediately launched their own, exclusive tribute band in order to take over that market.

All the other shows in my friend's company are going strong and everyone is happy. You just have to keep your eyes open to the attitudes of the bands you are paying tribute to.

Bob

[mike o]

Interesting. �� Thanks for the info Bob!

[Cecil6243]

Thank you Mike, Jon, and especially Bob!

As Spock would say, "Fascinating."

[Bob from Brooklyn]

So the bands themselves are sponsoring their own tribute bands? The line is getting blurry. Foreigner comes to mind.

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by Bob from Brooklyn

So the bands themselves are sponsoring their own tribute bands? The line is getting blurry. Foreigner comes to mind.

I think the word "operating"is better than "sponsoring." The idea is that there is money to be made and they want to ride that train. Lou Graham now has his own show, by the way.

Bob

[Bob from Brooklyn]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I think the word "operating"is better than "sponsoring." The idea is that there is money to be made and they want to ride that train. Lou Graham now has his own show, by the way.

Bob

Funny. It's like they have their own minor league teams.

[mike o]

Foreigner? Went to see them last year on the farewell tour. No original members on stage although Mick is still alive (just turned 78 I believe). Yes, I was surprised. Going to see them again with Styx this summer.

When it comes to tribute bands, this is not what comes to mind for me. Usually tributes are local or regional acts with no direct involvement to the original bands.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

From my understanding Mick Jones is Foreigner. He appears on stage whenever the mood strikes him.

[Riverwolf]

Loves me some tribute bands!
Only way I have got to see-
Beatles
Stones
Eagles
AC/DC
Led Zeppelin
Traveling Willburys
and more...

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by mike o

Foreigner? Went to see them last year on the farewell tour. No original members on stage

Hmm... that sounds like a tribute band to me. Except that they get to actually call themselves the band name.

It's a Ship of Theseus thing... at what point is it no longer actually the original band? I'm leery about going to see acts that I loved back in the day, but are now basically a bunch of hired guns plus the front person or two.

[Charlie Bernstein]

A tribute band is a cover band, so the rules that apply to any bar band apply to them:

1. It's fine to record demos, but to record to sell, they need permission.

2. They can only play at places licensed for live music. (At unlicensed venues, you can only play originals and music in the public domain. So a Stephen Foster cover band can play there, but an Archies cover band can't.

[mike o]

That is my understanding as well.

Originally Posted by Bob from Brooklyn

From my understanding Mick Jones is Foreigner. He appears on stage whenever the mood strikes him.