Weird Al Yankovic on RBN?

[Kariodude]

How does 'Cartman's' Pokerface fit into all of this?

It's not RBN. Harmonix can do pretty much anything that they can get permission to do. They had to go through Lady Gaga and South Park's channels of communication to get the song.

For RBN, it's Harmonix dealing with a charting group dealing with the artists. It's essentially adding an extra middle man so it's a lot harder to work with AND a lot safer to just play it safe and not allow such things.

[ThatAuthoringGroup]

Thats the thing though... he does not do covers (except for the medleys) he does parody's. And he has all the rights to do them.

Technically yes they are parodies. However it uses music created by another artist(despite the fact that he changes the words), so since this is a different form of media we need permission from both AL, and the original artists.

Otherwise I could just take the entire Metallica discography, change some words around while I sing it and release it all to RBN.

Now you see where the problem is?

[SirDavidTLynch]

That this whole discussion is even happening is just one reason to stick with the originals in the first place.

[Kariodude]

That this whole discussion is even happening is just one reason to stick with the originals in the first place.

I don't understand your logic at all.

[T-Hybrid]

I don't understand your logic at all.

Because if you can get access to Al's Parody, odds are you can get access to the original. And if you have access to the original, just sing Al's lyrics over that.

Not to mention that people get so hung up on Al's parodies that they forget he has a pretty deep library of very entertaining original songs. Most of which are far more entertaining than the parodies because they stand up to the test of time...comparred to a parody that loses some of it's edge once the original song falls out of the spotlight.

[LuigiHann]

The RBN FAQ breaks the rules down into more digestible chunks:

Can I submit a cover song?

* No. The RBN Program Terms clearly define the rights you need. Basically, you must own or control all rights for both the composition and the sound recording(s) embodied in any song that you submit; this includes the right to receive all payments. Because of the complexity around rights for cover songs, we cannot allow them to be submitted.

Can I submit a composition from the Public Domain?

* Yes, you can, with a couple restrictions. As with any other submission to RBN you must control all the necessary rights for any song that you submit to the extent such submission is protected by copyright or other applicable law. In addition, for Public Domain songs
o You must document that the composition is in fact in the public domain (and we will ask you to submit such information for review and verification in our sole discretion)
o You must ensure that all other non-public domain elements are owned and controlled by you. Be aware that even if a composition of a song is in the public domain, arrangements and recordings of that composition most often are not.

So, there it is, no covers on RBN, and the specifics of why there are no covers allowed on RBN line up quite clearly with why Weird Al's parodies aren't allowed either: complicated licensing, and royalties being split between two or more unaffiliated parties.

[Kariodude]

So they really need to rewrite the program terms. It contradicts itself.