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Bands can do covers because there's an existing structure in the US for compulsory mechanical licensing. No such thing exists for anything other than non-dramat
by zrail 4y ago
Bands can do covers because there's an existing structure in the US for compulsory mechanical licensing. No such thing exists for anything other than non-dramatic music, as far as I know.
- iggldiggl 4y agoAnd even then the compulsory licensing only covers relatively "straight" cover versions – you can change the arrangement and the general style of the song, but you need to keep the basic melody and the lyrics more or less intact. Now Dylan also did a number of those relatively straight cover versions as well, but there are also quite a few instances where he more liberally took (occasionally self-admittedly "stole", see the sibling post by mikojan) parts of a melody (or sometimes even the whole melody) and re-worked it with new lyrics, or incorporated text fragments from other works into his lyrics, etc. etc.