Using Song Lyrics in a story

Quote by nicola


Nope, you pay per line used, after you get permission.

I was always under the (wrong) impression you could use a few lines under the "Fair Use" rule, but alas, you can't.

The sampling comparison doesn't wash with copyright lawyers.

Quote by RumpleForeskin
Kristen, how dare you and Nic threadjack the previous threadjack by Sprite and the Magical One? Even worse, your t-jack got the thread back on topic. Bad form, I'm sure, but appreciated. ;)

One last time and with feeling: If you want to get published, either get gpermission or get rid of the lyrics.

Quote by DirtyMartini


And btw...you can see that her blog posts refer to use of lyrics in a book..

As you can see from the link I posted to the copyright office site, this whole thing is really a non-issue when it comes to quoting a few lines of copyrighted material in something like a story posted on Lush...

Like everything else in the world, it only becomes an issue when money is involved...or potentially involved...

If you're looking for more info on this, NOLO is a highly regarded legal info site...check out the section about "Non-commercial use"...they use the example of quoting Bob Dylan in a poem...

NOLO - The 'Fair Use' Rule: When Use of Copyrighted Material is Acceptable
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/fair-use-rule-copyright-material-30100.html

Quote by Liz


I wonder if a lawyer could argue that by submitting a story using copyrighted materials to Lush, which is a commercial operation due to it's advertising and sponsorship, that you are in fact helping to promote the site by submitting that content.

I don't think it's the same as posting a personal piece on your own blog for instance.

It might just be better to insist that no one uses actual song lyrics in stories and avoid the whole issue altogether.

Quote by Magical_felix


I wonder if that would extend then to the forum where people post song lyrics all the time. It is still part of a website that wants to turn a profit with adds n such. Why would it only apply to the stories? The forum is content too.

Quote by Liz


Good point.
Although, I suppose that fact that stories can be transmitted off-site adds another element to the equation; you can send them to your Kindle device for example.

I think it also avoids the inevitable fact that some authors won't attribute them properly or at all.

Quote by Magical_felix


I see people post videos with lyrics on youtube a lot and those can be embedded to almost any type of website and those remain on youtube. Maybe it's technically infringing on the original lyric writer's intellectual property or whatever but they probably don't care unless it's something like a movie, main stream novel etc. There are also those lyric websites with tons of ads on them that pretty much make money by just posting lyrics all day.

...But like how you mention, these sites attribute the lyrics properly.

Like, in a movie, they dont tell you who the artist is when they play the song.

Quote by overmykneenow


So called "fair use" is an absolute minefield and outside the US it pretty much doesn't exist in law. Safest way to use song lyrics is choose a song written before the war or write your own.

Quote by Carlos2112
Does it matter that I'm not making any money off their creations?

Quote by WannabeWordsmith

Is it possible to paraphrase the lyrics in your story to still get across their essence without infringing any direct copyright?

Morgan left his place of concealment, creeping up on the blind side of the wall surrounding the mansion. The gentle slope behind the wall served to conceal everything on the seaward side. A quick peek through the gate revealed darkened windows and no sign of life, as usual.

The light posts on either side of the gate provided a ridiculously easy means of gaining the top of the wall. With strength and practiced skill, Morgan shinnied up the pole, grasping the top of the wall and carefully eyeing the house one final time.

Morgan climbed in through the window and stuck his head back out to check left and right for any signs of someone having noticed him. Confident that he'd entered without detection, he closed the window and knelt down to pick up the slivers of wood dislodged during the break-in. He dropped them in his pocket out of habit to hide the obvious evidence of his entrance.

Quote by RejectReality


Naturally, the place he's robbing is on the seaside, considering it's based on the lyrics of Genesis - "Home by the Sea" That song conjures up some dark imagery, and I've written two horror takes on it.

Quote by sprite


here's the one you'll need to get to MY level.

Quote by seeker4
I have used songs in stories but just referred to the titles and themes, not the actual lyrics. OTOH, if you included some lyrics as lines of dialogue, no one would probably notice.

"I will always love you," she said.

"I want to rock and roll all night and party every day!" he roared as he entered the club.

And so on.

Quote by Twisted_Skald
Now I might be the biggest goose, but if lyrics were used sparingly in a submission, can you alter a story while it's pending review or do you need to wait for it to be rejected for using lyrics and THEN edit it?

Quote by Twisted_Skald
Now I just need to find where that is on the mobile version and hope it works.

Quote by CarltonStJames
The intro of a story I'm editing currently makes reference to the main character singing along to a song of which I only mention the title and the artist. I also state that a knocking on the door overshadowed the vocals and I mention the singer's name. I'm currently wondering if that will cause any issues.

Quote by jjf68
i'm doubtful that a copyright holder (artist, record company, publishing company, etc) would pursue anyone here even for using snippets of a song lyric in passing in a story