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New bass player using my ideas.
- Thread starter Mytt88
- Start date
Thanks. I agree, it's in the same spot where I left room for solos, and they just put their solos in there over a key change. But, whatever. That song will never been in the top 40, so I don't really care very much, 20 years later
Not meaning to hijack the thread, just wanting to illustrate that someone playing your bass lines is by far not the worst thing that can happen to your music.
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unless there is real money being made on the songs you co-wrote (which is unlikely), nobody will take your case and it's not worth winning anyway
How many grammys do you have? How much money have you made from your specific "style"? How many books have been written about your bass playing? Then yeah... he probably is playing your parts because they probably fit the best and thats how the song was written. Move on. So what... you inspired another bassist.
When the former bassist for RomeXxis left, they had several originals. Several. I didnt listen at all to his lines. I created similar lines anyway. That being said. Im sure He isnt upset. I know he isnt. My style and his are close in some areas. Although i went and made similar lines.. They are close to ones he had already done. Ive written my own to the "drafts" that were before me. I wrote similar lines for the previous songs that were ready. Its 6 in one..half a dozen in the other. Make sure you have bass credits for what you did.. but at the same time.. remember also, that if he covered your lines.. they were perfect the way they were.
Not much can be done.. i know nationally famous bands that lose or have lost musicians.. they kept the song true to the original as much as possible.
Not much can be done.. i know nationally famous bands that lose or have lost musicians.. they kept the song true to the original as much as possible.
Why not? I would totally expect anyone I did any creative work with to continue to use my contributions barring some legally binding written and signed pre-nup type agreement to the contrary?
Do you have a legally binding agreement in writing and signed with them to throw out all the work you did with them in the event you are replaced?
Verbal agreements are only worth the paper they are printed on ...
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I'd be busy writing new bass parts for my new songs in my new band.
Unless you have a signed songwriter and/or publishing agreement to back a legal claim, I'd forget it.
Consider it a complement. I've used good parts others wrote when replacing them because I figger the band fans want to hear the song as they know it. If I came up with something better then, yeah, I'd replace it.
Unless you have a signed songwriter and/or publishing agreement to back a legal claim, I'd forget it.
Consider it a complement. I've used good parts others wrote when replacing them because I figger the band fans want to hear the song as they know it. If I came up with something better then, yeah, I'd replace it.
And a lot of this depends on what the band you are joining wants. When I joined my originals band, there were a bunch of songs already recorded and, for the most part, they wanted those lines verbatim. I took a few liberties here and there, but the basics remained as they were written. Then they had a whole bunch of other songs that weren't really arranged yet. One of them was the reason the bass player before me quit; he had written a very busy line for it and they didn't care for it; they asked him to make the song less bouncy and more hard rock and he was offended and quit. So I ended up creating the line for that one and a handful of others.
The guy who wrote the lines that I covered was two bassists back; he went on to better things but I don't think he cares one way or the other what I play.
I write code for a living, different form, but still creative, and we call this "being professional". If someone asks me to work on their side project, I ask what they are willing to pay, if nothing and I still am interested, I ask what kind of equity I get if the project is a commercial success, whatever they agree to I get in writing, and if anyone balks at this you just save yourself a world of disappointment and just walk away and write them off as not worth your time.
Forget it. Don't waste energy on ego fights. Just be the best player you can.
There was a time when writing a good song could be your ticket to some fairly serious money. Those days are pretty much gone, so the legal extremes people used to go to in order to protect or defend their intellectual property as songwriters are generally not worth the expense anymore. Which sucks for those of us who write music, but that's how it is these days.
I'm pretty sure that every bass line I have ever played is either an approximation of the original or an amalgam of snippets that I have learned over the last 50 years that sort of fit together.
I don't believe I have an original bone in my body so lose no sleep over anyone ripping off my lines. Of course @Mytt88 may be far more original than me (but somehow I doubt it).
I don't believe I have an original bone in my body so lose no sleep over anyone ripping off my lines. Of course @Mytt88 may be far more original than me (but somehow I doubt it).
Yeah, except the largest civil trial verdict in US history ($10B from Texaco to Penzoil) was the result of a breach of a handshake deal. "Old sayings" have the same legal standing as the paper they're written on...
I had to look it up. “I’m talking about You”
Build a bridge - get over it. Jamiroquai have had many bass players and they all play the bass lines of their predecessors.
ron berry
Commercial User
A trombonist friend wrote a great song and taught the funk band he was in the parts so they could fill out the set, the two singers took the songwriting credits on the album and the money, it was an instrumental track. I objected when I found out, he upon reflection was a bit perturbed but later did a much better version with a much better band and put it on that album with himself as songwriter. At least he had the song recorded well the way he wanted it and he was happy enough to get that far. He doesn't get royalties from either band but a lot of feet moved to it.
"In the Shadows of Motown" is a great doco on the funk brothers (the house band from the studio) that plays the whole game out in exquisite irony, it is well worth a look. James Jamersons story ought to make you feel a whole lot better about your basslines, "the hook" ended up comitting suicide and never got more than a low salary and no songwriting credits despite starting every songwriting session with his bassline and some ideas for changes, so you can't let it get to you. Be proud that people are getting down to it and teach the guy the part if he doesn't have it just right, it is still your baby.
"In the Shadows of Motown" is a great doco on the funk brothers (the house band from the studio) that plays the whole game out in exquisite irony, it is well worth a look. James Jamersons story ought to make you feel a whole lot better about your basslines, "the hook" ended up comitting suicide and never got more than a low salary and no songwriting credits despite starting every songwriting session with his bassline and some ideas for changes, so you can't let it get to you. Be proud that people are getting down to it and teach the guy the part if he doesn't have it just right, it is still your baby.
