Using instrumental versions for exclusive tracks?

[DooWahDiddy]

Okay, so I have a song with vocals that works great, but there's a listing for an instrumental that the track would be good for, too. By "track" I mean the exact same song but with the vocals muted.

Problem is, it's an exclusive listing. So my question is, is it technically a different song if I submit the instrumental version, or would signing an exclusive deal with that preclude me from submitting the vocal version anywhere else?

Thanks!

[hummingbird]

Can't split the master recording into 2. It's one and the same.

[DooWahDiddy]

Interesting! Kind of weird, since without the melody and lyrics it's arguably just a sound bed and not really "the same song". But I also see why that rule might apply, to avoid having a exclusivity issue where one version is signed to a label/library and the other version is signed to a different one. Thanks for the info!

[Russell Landwehr]

Look at it from this perspective.

If you hear a really cool "sound bed" behind a song on the Radio... and you recreate it perfectly without the vocals... would you get slapped with a Copyright Infringement suit? Yep.

Same thing with a Song signed exclusive.

It works the other way around... If the instrumental version is signed exclusive, you can't slap vocals on it and sell it elsewhere.

In the exclusive world, the music and lyrics and melody are married. If you sell it as an instrumental before the vocal version is signed, you'll need to come up with a new and completely different "sound bed" to sell the vocal version elsewhere.

Russell

[DooWahDiddy]

In the exclusive world, the music and lyrics and melody are married. If you sell it as an instrumental before the vocal version is signed, you'll need to come up with a new and completely different "sound bed" to sell the vocal version elsewhere.

Russell

Well that's not gonna happen, haha. Makes sense, thanks for explaining it!

[eeoo]

Also, all of the libraries I'm signed with want vocal AND instrumental versions of the song. So yeah, if you sign the instrumental exclusively you can't sign the vocal version with anyone else.

[DooWahDiddy]

Sure, makes sense. Just to clarify though, if it's a NON-exclusive deal, all bets go out the window, right? Like, you could send the instrumental version to one library and the vocal version to another without fear, right?

[hummingbird]

Sure, makes sense. Just to clarify though, if it's a NON-exclusive deal, all bets go out the window, right? Like, you could send the instrumental version to one library and the vocal version to another without fear, right?

yes