Monday 19 September 2011

Monday Music: Alive, Alive-O

While trying to find an Irish song in the public domain to use during a pivotal scene in our novel...


Violetta: Man they [the crowd] really love that song
Heidi: To be fair, The Dubliners could sing a chorus of "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you" and the Irish would probably still sing along and weep with joy.
Violetta: What if they sang "God Save the Queen"?
Heidi: Universe would implode.


Remember, fellow aspiring authors! Quoting lyrics to popular songs in your novel doesn't fall under Fair Use. If you want to quote music in your novel without asking for permission or paying royalties, always use songs that are in the public domain, aka songs that were written before 1923. Unknowingly, Violetta and I included several lines from the song "Wonderwall" in our manuscript, which, judging by the previous link, would have run us up a bill that would far exceed any earnings we could hope to make from publishing our novel, even if it sold really well!

For more info on the legal issues surrounding quoting lyrics, check out this excellent post post by Dina DiMaio, attorney/writer. In the meantime, I'll be enjoying some awesome Irish classics!

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