Lyric videos for collabs and features: who has the rights?
A song with several people on it can have several owners. Before anyone uploads it for a lyric video, agree who can do that. This is general information, not legal advice.
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Text description of this video
A lyric video in three colourful worlds: a rainbow sky with clouds, a purple sunset over waves, and a burst of blue and teal rays. The words appear with the singing in large letters, and on the peak words the letters gather out of small particles. Small drawings sit beside the words they belong to: keys, a flower pot, a cat, a peach, shoes. An equalizer moves along the bottom edge. The song's audio plays with the video.
Why it matters
Lyriclip only makes videos for songs you made, or that you own or control the rights to, including the lyrics. On a collab, you may hold only part of those rights, so make sure you have the agreement of the others.
Questions to settle first
- Who wrote the lyrics, and who made the music?
- If the beat is leased, does the licence allow a video release?
- Does a featured artist's label need to agree?
- Who publishes the video, and on which channel?
- Who pays for it? It is one order, at $29 per song.
Put it in writing
A short message that everyone answers is better than nothing, and clearer than a memory later on. Do it before release, while everybody is still talking.
Names in the video
The video shows the words you paste, so put the names of everyone involved in the title and description when you publish it.
Questions
Can a producer order for a singer?
Yes, if the producer owns or controls the rights, or has the agreement of the person who does.
Does Lyriclip check who owns the song?
Before uploading you declare that you made the song or control its rights. Read our rules on rights and takedown.
What if someone reports a video?
Reports are handled under the rules on the rights page.
See also: How to make a lyric video | Lyric video sizes and formats | Lyric video for producers | Lyric video for a cover song | Lyric video for independent artists | Guides | Samples | Pricing | How it works | Lyriclip