General Question should i or should i not

[wayne49]

if your a songwriter, meaning you are not a singer nor do you have a group.
would it be a good idea posting a song on youtube, in the hope of getting it picked
up by a singer/group?

[mikemichnya]

Hey Wayne,

If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?

There are probably 10's if not 100's of millions of songs posted on youtube. If your goal is to get a song 'picked up' by an established artist, posting it on youtube is probably one of the least effective methods, for a number of reasons (mostly, they're not looking for great songs there). On the other hand, if you post something, ANYONE could cover it... if they find it, and if they like it. At the very least, it will live forever in the digital domain, so post carefully.

I came across a youtube video of a guy doing a parody version of "Rude" (by Magic) that was LOL funny. I like the original, but as a father of the young teenage daughter, I LOVED the parody, which I learned so that I could cover it (much to my daughter's embarrasment)!

Good luck!

[Kolstad]

Putting a song on Youtube is basically a commercial release, which means that you cannot stop anyone from covering the song.

This may be an issue for major commercial artists, as they are looking for a first release. Say if a major artist want to record your song, and they find out that it has already been recorded by an upcoming artist. That may be a dealbreaker, so you won't get the major cut.

So, if you do that, consider the song to be marketing for what you can do, rather than thinking of pitching that particular song.

If it's your best work, and you plan on shopping the song, don't put it up on Youtube.

[mojobone]

Putting a song on Youtube is basically a commercial release, which means that you cannot stop anyone from covering the song.

That's true; public release means you don't get 'right of refusal' for cover versions, but covers will generally raise the profile of your song, adding to the value of your copyright. Obviously, you should register anything, before uploading it to Youtube, even if it's not available for purchase, but there are repercussions, vis a vis your song's "exclusive" status.