KVR Audio

mtm1 · Post by **mtm1** » Sat May 06, 2017 3:34 am

Hi All: I have developed a new site that curates excellent covers across all genres. It's for traditional vocal only covers, bands, collaboration covers (different players working together on a song), and also instrumentalists such as guitarist, drummers, etc. I am seeking cover submissions through the website and a basic artist membership (which allows one to submit a cover for consideration) is free.

https://top10covers.com

Thanks for any feedback. Cheers

BertKoor · Post by **BertKoor** » Sat May 06, 2017 7:08 am

So on your site you publish recordings of songs of which the writing credits belong to others? Have you spoken to Sony, EMI etc? I wonder what they think of that. I also wonder whether you are able to pay for your legal representation and settlements.

Just a kind warning... I wish you all the best with collaborating websites.

mtm1 · Post by **mtm1** » Sat May 06, 2017 5:10 pm

Thanks for the feedback but I can tell you are not at all familiar with how YouTube works. Also, this website, which makes available for streaming only YouTube videos is 100% compliant with all YouTube terms of service and operates in a 100% legal manner.

Here's how it works: YouTube has negotiated with almost all song owner(s)/publishers and monetizes artist's cover videos featuring their works. In turn, YouTube makes available to all third party websites like ours a video player which can be used to play those videos. If a specific music publisher has chosen not to make a deal with YouTube, the song/cover is blocked shortly after the YouTube user (i.e. the cover performer) posts it, but that is actually pretty rare.

Each play on a third party website like ours using that player adds to the play counts on YouTube and the ad revenue generated is split between the song owner(s) and the cover artist. I'd also note that the site the player appears on gets no revenue from a play.

So, contrary to what you are implying, sites like this add to the revenue that goes to both song owners and the artists covering their songs, a fact of which we are most proud. Finally, we fully support artists and songwriters being paid fairly for their work and the point of our website is to help them achieve visibility and success.

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Sat May 06, 2017 6:43 pm

mtm1 wrote: Here's how it works: YouTube has negotiated with almost all song owner(s)/publishers and monetizes artist's cover videos featuring their works.

Here's how it really works:
<Copyright owners can use a system called Content ID to easily identify and manage their content on YouTube.

Videos uploaded to YouTube are scanned against a database of files that have been submitted to us by content owners. Copyright owners get to decide what happens when content in a video on YouTube matches a work they own. When this happens, the video gets a Content ID claim.>

Depending on the copyright owner’s policy, some Content ID claims prevent certain material from being available on YouTube.

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2797370

mtm1 · Post by **mtm1** » Sat May 06, 2017 11:10 pm

Thanks for adding some technical details. That is a quote from YouTube TOS, of course, which clarifies an aspect of the subject.

However, while labels (and other parties owning sound recordings) are currently jockeying with YouTube on use of sound recordings, most major publishers signed a deal with YouTube a few years ago to monetize song copyrights, with some exceptions in their catalogs. That is why there are thousands of song covers on YouTube right now.

And yes, anyone with either of these content rights can choose to block anything at any time within the confines of their current agreements with YouTube. Those agreements may also be, at times, in a state of flux for a variety of reasons.

However, if something is blocked, it will simply stop working on any third party site utilizing its player. If anyone wants to dig further into YouTube you can also read in their TOS about the third party players I refer to.

Finally, it seems like there is at least one person here who perhaps has a beef with YouTube on how much they are compensating content owners or how they utilize content. I have to say that your beef should be directed to the Google/YouTube if that is the case, not at one of the thousands (if not hundreds of thousands), of websites in the world properly using their third party player.

kinwie · Post by **kinwie** » Sat May 06, 2017 11:20 pm

Well, can old songs like these be accepted?
It's on soundcloud and the video not yet made...

https://soundcloud.com/kinwie/livin-on- ... jovi-cover

https://soundcloud.com/kinwie/just-a-gi ... y-fatmanda

mtm1 · Post by **mtm1** » Sat May 06, 2017 11:45 pm

Old songs, new songs, all good but unfortunately we are only accepting submission requests In the format of YouTube videos. Thanks for the interest though!

mtm1 · Post by **mtm1** » Sun May 07, 2017 8:08 am

mtm1 wrote:Old songs, new songs, all good but unfortunately we are only accepting submission requests In the format of YouTube videos. Thanks for the interest though!

P.S. Just got a chance to listen to these--both sound great! You should turn them into YouTube videos (YouTube videos can be only audio if desired) and submit them to our site. Thanks again for the interest.

kinwie · Post by **kinwie** » Sun May 07, 2017 8:42 am

mtm1 wrote: P.S. Just got a chance to listen to these--both sound great! You should turn them into YouTube videos (YouTube videos can be only audio if desired) and submit them to our site. Thanks again for the interest.

Thanks!
Those are recently finished and yes, the video already planned. It just the vocalist is very busy right now as she is a radio host and also a host for a local TV's traveling program and still out of town.
And yes I'm interest to put those tracks into your site when the vids are done. Thanks for the feedback!

OreoSplitter · Post by **OreoSplitter** » Sun May 07, 2017 8:46 am

I thought I read somewhere youtube videos from third party sites do not get ads and therefore are not monetized.
The other issue is does me uploading a video to youtube mean that any site can use it to benefit in some way? You might not be directly getting money but are getting rep. Also person who made video isn't getting views, subscribers, monetization. I haven't read the ToS but it seems to common logic says you can't use other peoples work for you're own benefit without permission from that person. Don't people who upload by default are protected from someone else profiting off their work? Someone who got rights to do a cover song and uploaded to youtube, I doubt the original band is ok with some 3rd party website using it to gain. You don't know what the original agreements are between the bands and the people doing covers. Ignorance is not a defense. So I didn't know means jack. Maybe everything is fine but my gut says this will in some way bite you in A..

mtm1 · Post by **mtm1** » Sun May 07, 2017 8:22 pm

With all due respect, I'm not going to respond any further to people who want to dig around about the site model, YouTube policies, etc. I'll only say that making YouTube video players available to third party websites has been part of YouTube's business model for many years now, and is in practice all over the web right now.

The purpose of my post was to let people know if they want to submit covers for editorial consideration. Thanks all...

ontol · Post by **ontol** » Tue May 09, 2017 3:27 am

Yes, stop asking pesky questions concerning copyright.

They don't have time to mess around, there is money to be made b̶e̶f̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶i̶z̶e̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶n̶ .

Quality Covers Wanted