The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #163310   Message #3894798
Posted By: Andy7
19-Dec-17 - 09:21 PM
Thread Name: a moral dilemma
Subject: a musical moral dilemma
Here's a musical moral dilemma. Just for fun - it wouldn't ever happen in real life!

Imagine that you've composed an amazing song. Almost everyone you play it to loves it. And so you decide to video yourself singing the song, and post it on the internet. It's rather an amateurish performance; although decent enough, you've never been an especially talented singer or guitarist. A few friends 'like' your video, and that's an end of it. Or so you think!

BUT ... one day, you get a call from the agent of an internationally famous pop singer - let's call this famous singer John Smith.

Well, John absolutely LOVES your song, and wants to record it himself, to release as a single, and also as the title track of his new album. He won't record it in the acoustic style that you prefer - but he's a very good singer and performer, and you know that he'll do the song justice in his own distinctive style, and that it will become well loved.

But, there's a catch (of course) ... John Smith also wants to be recognised as the WRITER of your song!

So, here's the deal. You'll get a £25,000 upfront payment, plus 50% of all songwriter royalties for that song, in perpetuity. In exchange, you must sign a contract acknowledging John Smith as the sole composer of the song. And also, if you ever sing 'your' song in public again, you'll have to acknowledge John Smith as its composer.

What would you do?