I wasn’t just interested in recording “I Love Rock N Roll” because I liked the challenge of reinterpreting it.
I also recorded it because I knew my publisher controls the copyright. Back in 2020, they gave me a list of popular songs they can clear for licensing. I scanned through them and picked several that piqued my interest.
Why am I telling you this?
Because sometimes it’s good to reverse engineer from your end goal, especially if you’re recording someone else’s music.
Remember: A song is two sides of the same coin: the publishing (lyrics/melody—intellectual property) and the sound recording of that property (what you listen to). This is why you can record covers and own half of the song. You own the sound recording. But if you want to record music that has a chance of being licensed, it’s best to know who owns and controls the other half.
This is partly why I recorded “I Love Rock N Roll.” So it has a fighting chance to help put food on the table.
Unfortunately, I know artists who recorded covers and their versions are great, but aren’t even considered for licensing because of the inability to clear the song.
So, before you spend a ton of time, energy, and money recording that cover song, make sure you know who controls the publishing and whether they have a history of rejecting or accepting licensing requests.
P.S. If you want to know who owns the publishing, go to BMI, ASCAP, SESAC or SOCAN, and search their repertory.