This question comes up fairly frequently.
“The music industry is pretty vigilant about song lyrics,” [legal expert] Cook says. “This is especially true if you’re using the lyrics in a novel to progress the story or add atmosphere. If you’re a music critic reviewing a CD, you have more leeway under fair use.”
Writers I know who have pursued getting permission have found the cost for securing rights to use lyrics to be prohibitive. Maybe we should write our own songs, too.
read more: Writer’s Digest Questions and Quandaries
MAD about Words
is the brainchild (and heartchild) of
Mary Ann de Stefano
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It is tempting to rely on other’s creativity by inserting a song that perfectly completes a scene. Perhaps, if writers wrote their own songs for their novels, it could add an extra income when they are sold to rock stars and rappers.
Cheers!
Janie