Getting Away With It

bigbigtruck:

Hey, it’s time to print TJ and Amal Volume 2! Which is going to be sold! For money! And it contains movie dialogue and copyrighted song lyrics all over the place!

Shit!

GUESS IT’S TIME TO BUY RIGHTS TO SOME CONTENT.

A quick summary - If you’re also planning on quoting songs or movies in your published work:
1. Try to avoid it, it’s expensive and a hassle. Cut, parody, or paraphrase if possible.
2. If you gotta do it, try to keep it to one licensed item.
3. Find who to contact by looking on the sheet music, not in the album liner notes
4. Allow 2-3 months for response time before press date.
5. READ EVERY LAST BIT OF FINE PRINT in the license agreement before you sign it. If you don’t understand a clause, don’t be afraid to ask.
6. It’s up to you to keep following up - don’t sit and wait for them to get back to you. If it’s been over 2 or 3 weeks, check in. And again.

Anyway, the details: (WARNING: THIS IS SERIOUSLY FUCKING LONG)

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Fascinating post on how licensing song lyrics for books works in the real world.