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Can someone help clarify if Pat Boone did pay royalties for his covers of Aint that a shame, tutti frutti, etc. or did he get around it by change the lyrics a bit. If he did pay royalties does anyone know how much he had to pay?

Thanks

Comments

BobRogers Wed, 10/06/2010 - 09:02

Boone would have had to pay the publisher of the song "mechanical" royalties of so many cents per song per record. The publisher would have to pay the songwriter. There is a legal "compulsory rate" which is effectively the maximum rate. A lower rate could be negotiated - and might well have been for Boone.

dvdhawk Wed, 10/06/2010 - 12:02

To add to Bob's answer:

I would have to assume Pat Boone's record company would have legally been required to pay the mechanical royalty rate of the day. (Which from 1909 until 1976 was 2-cents per copy sold of each song.)

Here's a link to some of the legal [="http://www.bmlawgroup.com/?p=489"]history of US copyright law[/]="http://www.bmlawgro…"]history of US copyright law[/] as provided by an entertainment lawyer.

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2010 mechanical rates are 9.1 Cents per copy for songs 5 minutes or less

1.75 Cents per minute or fraction thereof, per copy for songs over 5 minutes.

If you're asking to find out if some minor changes in the words change ownership of the song - the answer is no. Pat Boone's version is clearly recognizable as a derivative version. Weird Al can completely change the words, but still has to pay the original composer because his version is still recognizable.

Hope that helps.