Same is true of any artist living or dead. The publishing rights to the song are owned by somebody, so if you use the exact melody or lyrics you're infringing copyright. You do a song that "kind of sounds like" the song, but melody and lyrics would have to be at least a little different.
But what about things like Alladin's A Whole New World. If you have someone sing that for a film and use it would you have to pay although you recorded your own version using their lyrics? Or like Johnny B. Goode where Chcuk Berry writer &singer is dead
I just watched that. That was great! Get both feet off the ground simultaneously.This should serve a good job of visually explaining how one might go forth in avoiding getting sued. http://teamcoco.com/content/conan-in...able-name-tune
It doesn't matter if the artist is dead. Somebody (his heirs or the heirs of the songwriter) own the publishing rights to the song unless as noted above he has been dead a LONG time.
So if I have a friend who's a sick guitar player do a version of Johnny B Goode, who do I get permission from to use my friend version of the song and not a SONY distributed Chuck Berry version?
Same thing with Alladin, Disney owns the rights to the song but if I have a girl sing it in her way, do I still need permission as its not the Disney version.
But who would own a copyright to the song of a dead person?
ok, unless the owner is dead more than 70 years? But who would own a copyright to the song of a dead person?