Re: Plagerism Re: Song Lyrics in Story

Ethics and writing

Plagerism Re: Song Lyrics in Story

Teslawriter 01-24-2006, 6:35 PM

Hi all:

I've read a number of Steven King's novels, where he begins a chapter with a verse or two from some very popular rock songs. I've always assumed that he either got permission to do this because he's famous, or he paid for the right, because he's (now) rich, or both. In all cases, I believe, Mr. King did credit the songs' authors.

Are we allowed to quote song lyrics in a story, as long as we attribute them to their author, even if we didn't ask permission?

Is there a character-limit or other quantity limit?

How should the attribution be handled:
      a) immediately, in a parenthetical note,
      b) in a footnote or endnote, or
      c) is it okay to mention, in the text introducing the quote, who the author is?

On a related issue: if radio stations have to pay royalties to bands, or to the bands' record publishers (?), how come bar bands, playing cover songs, all across America most weekend nights, don't have to pay royalties?

Thanks in advance.

Peter

Host of Your Environment Today, at
http://www.rocklandworldradio.com/program/envtoday/

When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”
--Sinclair Lewis

If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.
--James Madison

Re: Plagerism Re: Song Lyrics in Story

Blackdog 01-27-2006, 9:30 AM
This question about song lyrics comes up often. While I have no idea about bands playing songs in bars, i do know that you are running into dangerous territory quoting popular songs in your writing. You do need to get permission and usually purchase the rights, which can be very expensive not to mention time consuming. Furthermore, if you are an unknown, it is doubtful anyone will even give your request the time of day.

I'm not a reader of Stephen King, however, with a writer of his popularity song writers may just appreciate the advertising. Also, he has plenty of people to do the deal working, while he focuses on his writing. For the average Joe/Josephine, it just ain't worth the effort.

I did have a story I wrote around a song line before I had learned about all this. I re-worked it with some dum-de-dums and misunderstood lines––it happens all the time, but kept just enough so that the very popular Musak tune was identifiable,and I managed to get it published.

Nannette Croce
zine writer

Re: Plagerism Re: Song Lyrics in Story

Nanlisa 05-10-2007, 12:26 AM

I just wrote a short story set in the summer of 1967 in Los Angeles. It was about a happily married couple who go out to dinner to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. I was going to use the lyrics "Come on baby, light my fire (from the Doors' song), but then I decided not to. You definitely have to have permission to use song lyrics in fiction. It was best that I just simply kept it out.

Re: Plagerism Re: Song Lyrics in Story

Farson 03-16-2009, 11:39 AM

Nanlisa wrote:

You definitely have to have permission to use song lyrics in fiction.

Hmm, that seems quite silly to me, afterall it's not like the actual music will feature. Now I'll have to make a mental note to never put any song lyrics into my work.