Selling Cover Versions And What To Watch Out For

As you all no by now I am pretty Computer Savi and I like to think outside the box...
After recently showing people a simple way to get onto iTunes, GooglePlay, Amazon and Spotify,
I thought It's about time people also learnt another important little trick about Publicity & Marketing

By Performing An IMPROVISED COVER...

 Now i say improvised simply because most good songs and pieces of music have already been covered...    I E: do you really want to try and sell a cover of HURT?,  when clearly Johnny Cash wiped the floor with everyone who's ever sang it?... You'd have to be Epic or just plain old crazy lol

But an Improvised cover (a restyling of the original) so people know what it is, but have never heard it that way.. now that's the way to promote your music (its ALL about SEARCHING and Terminology)
Computers are Thick... they do what their told (and all they show is what people search for)

So if you were to record a cover song, or do your own rendition of a piece of music (something famous) and people find it while searching (searching for the original) then there's a chance they would click "Related" or "Also By This Artist"   to see what ever else you have done...
 (so uploading a few similar style tracks BEFORE HAND would be a wise move)

Obtaining a License to Distribute your version has always been complicated, and involved a label or a manager and many many legal fees and time. A costly and very complicated prospect for many..

BUT now made simple via  LOUDR.

Now i still recommend Distrokid (for your own works, because that covers google, iTunes, amazon and spotify, and more of a percentage of your sales)  BUT with Loudr you can sell Cover Versions via loudr and still get it on iTunes while loudr take care of the legal side for a percentage (iTunes also take a cut, but then your not paying to keep it on their, so its money for nothing in reality) and ber in mind the Original License holder of the (c) will also get a percentage.
But then your not really doing covers for the money, after all its not really yours...

Your Doing It..
To Gain Exposure...
To Get Noticed...
To Get Heard...
To Drive Web Traffic To Your Own Work....

So The Percent You Do Earn From A Cover Is Merely A Bonus...
(not only a form of FREE Advertising, but you also get a little profit back off it to)

Complications?
Its recommended to work alone (on a cover) less of a split with the royalties..
And if you do work with others, work directly and arrange a split before uploading it
(IE,  if you sing over a karaoke backing track that wont be legal)
A cover made using a cover is a license nightmare, because only the original artist can license it, obtaining multiple licenses can be complicated  (i am unsure how this will affect medley based tracks)

Another Interesting Aspect?
Say your in a band & you want to release a song
Loudr can split the royalties between who YOU want..

So How Does It Work?
Well you create a picture (for your track)
You upload the image and the audio file.
You list the original Artist & Original Release Date
You list who is performing on the track "you uploaded"
and then loudr attempt to gain a license from the copywrite holder to sell the track online
iTunes is optional and you would get more royalties only selling via loudr, But you would get much much more exposure having it on iTunes...

One of my most popular covers is a piece of Movie Music I put Lyrics to, i also have some other covers  (ber in mind a cover is that track you keep in a folder such as "can't be sold" or "mine yet not mine"  they are tracks most of us already have sitting their and we've been unable to do anything with them "legally" because their not ours to upload, even though we did them)  but laws change and labels want easy cash.  After all, google already put adverts on videos using music owned by 3rd parties, that alone is an evolution of licensing in the hands of us the artist's. Studios, labels, record companies, they are happy with a percentage, especially when they have done none of the work within the track their making money from   :)

In an industry now being mostly run by musicians you have 2 main options open these days

A) You can pay to have stuff hosted and sold for you (gone once you stop paying)
B) You can have stuff hosted free and sold for you, they take a % per sale (but its on-line indefinitely)

Musicians Have NEVER Had It So Good....
A Chance To Leave Your Music Behind For Future Generations
While Money Builds For You & Down The Line Your Kids....

The % Aspect Is The Only Way To Really Keep Your Music In Stores When Your Gone..

UPDATE:
Distrokid now also offer to deal with cover versions but their is a monthly fee to be paid 12 months in advance. But if your releasing through a specific lable or something then that maybe the way to go.
If you have issues finding the Loudr   JOIN  page try this link.