Coldplay's Oracle on the intricacies of covering Coldplay songs commercially

More questions answered by The Oracle... (over 1000 questions now answered - submit yours now!)

November 3, 2009 - submitted by Ben, United States of America

Q. Hey-lo Oracle person, If I cover a Coldplay song and it is slightly successful, would I have to pay royalties on said song? How would I go about that? Or does Coldplay not even care?

The Oracle replies:

Gosh, I admire your self-belief and confidence and maybe it's a good thing to consider such things but you may be a little ahead of yourself here Ben. Anyone can do a straight cover of another's song; it's when you sample sections of a song it becomes a more complicated legal issue. There are mechanical licenses available for such purposes too but I would strongly suggest you get legal representation (assuming you haven't got a manager/label etc.) if you intend to release a cover. The fact that you did not write the song means that you would not get any money from the publishing income generated. Coldplay are signed to a publishing company who would collect those royalties. There is a long process to go through before then though. For instance you'd have to record it, get some kind of release, receive some kind of promotion/radio play and then sell it and hope people buy it...

November 3, 2009 - submitted by Matt, United Kingdom

Q. Who do I send my demo to?? I don't know who to pick??

The Oracle replies:

It's a crucial decision and you're wise to give it a lot of thought. Don't send it to a label who may already have an artist similar in style to you. That said; don't send to it to a specialist label if you do not fit into their genre. If there's a company with many of your favourite artists on the roster that you think you would fit well with, give them a try but take the time to find out a contact name and they may return that time and effort by listening to it. Don't just send it because you happen to have recorded an album's worth of songs. Only send it if you genuinely think it's ready and brilliant. If you're not totally happy with it, why would they be? This is a huge step so don't waste it. Bear in mind you may not hear back from anyone so after a couple of weeks, give them a call to see if they have received it and if/when you can expect it to be listened to.

November 3, 2009 - submitted by Shanette and Miran, Australia

Q. Hey! I'm playing a game where you have to quote Coldplay songs. What song has the sentence "have done for" in it? TY <3

The Oracle replies:

Don't Panic has the lyric "all of us are done for"; maybe that's what you're looking for.