Question?

[holdempok]

can you post cover-songs on sites like soundclick and reverbnation?

[AlchemyMN]

Not without a "Mechanical License."  Contact the Harry Fox Agency:
http://www.harryfox.com/public/licenseeServicesMechanical.jsp

Mechanical Licensing Laws 
Under the United States Copyright Act, the right to use copyrighted, non-dramatic musical works in the making of phonorecords for distribution to the public for private use is the exclusive right of the copyright owner. However, the Act provides that once a copyright owner has recorded and distributed such a work to the U.S. public or permitted another to do so, a compulsory mechanical license is available to anyone else who wants to record and distribute the work in the U.S. upon the payment of license fees at the statutory "compulsory" rate as set forth in Section 115 of the Act.

[holdempok]

ok then why can bands play covers? its like jay walking. like sex before marriage is illegal right? should I post a cover with out the it?

[tkofaith]

ok then why can bands play covers? its like jay walking. like sex before marriage is illegal right? should I post a cover with out the it?

There's a HUGE difference between playing something live and distributing recordings of it!  Using your sex before marriage example, you can distribute the music (have sex before marriage), but it may come back to bite you with a "legal Syphillis"!

[AlchemyMN]

When you play live, the venue is actually responsible for licensing, not the performer.  They should have a BMI or ACSAP license to cover you and the the muzak they play when you aren't playing...\

Some places don't want to apy, so they require artists to play only original music.  Common in coffee shops.

Mechanical Royalties are not that expensive if you check with Harry Fox. Artists get paid to write more great tunes this way, without having to make records themselves.