I think that if you're going to produce and market a recording, you ought to know the stories behind the songs you record. Websites like Mudcat can give you the background of songs, but you have to know how to ask the right questions and how to evaluate the validity of the information you receive.

There's a message about a "traditional song" titled "Hard Rock Miners," and the message says that significant royalties were paid for the song. Right off, that makes me think the song wasn't traditional. A little searching here tells me the more common name for the song is "Mining for Gold", and that it is based on the Bill Lore song titled "Taku Miners." Now, the question is, do royalties go to Lore, to James Gordon, to the Cowboy Junkies, or to whom? If you follow the threads we have on the song, you'll at least know where to start asking questions.

I think it's important to pay royalties when royalties are due - but it's also important NOT to pay royalties to someboy who's just claiming rights to a traditional song. In other words, it pays to do your homework.

-Joe Offer-