![]() There needs to be a REASON for this version of the song to exist.Īt the same time, don’t overdo it. The song shouldn’t be so surprising or different that it loses all familiar ties to the original.Īim to cover songs that you can easily recreate in live settings. That way you can diversify your live set, create live vertical videos, and shows audiences a different side of your musical personality. ![]() What are your strengths and weaknesses, and can the cover song you choose showcase the former?īe bold! You want to take what’s unique about your own songwriting and production styles and bring it to the cover song. To make a song “your own,” you have to know who you are as a musician. Just make sure you answer them for yourself every time you consider releasing cover songs! Tips for releasing a solid cover song ![]() There’s no correct answer to those questions. Success with covers can distract you - Do you want to be a cover song artist or a songwriter?.Your cover is too obscure - In which case, why not release one of your own songs instead?.The cover doesn’t beat the original - So why not spend that effort on your own songs?.Covers still require a lot of work to promote - Will you have realistic expectations?.As a general rule, it seems wisest for songwriters to use covers as supplemental releases. Covers can be a great thing to try occasionally, but not where you want to focus all your energy. If that’s a route you want to go down, great! More power to you.īut if it’s a path you’ve found yourself on because your covers were the only songs gaining traction, you may want to reevaluate things and put some renewed emphasis on your original music. In which case, why not put that same effort into your own songs instead?Īnother somewhat counterintuitive risk is that if you DO find success with a cover song, there’s a temptation to keep a good thing going. That’s not necessarily wrong, but over the years we’ve seen many talented original artists slip (almost without knowing) into full-time “cover song artist” mode. In other words, you’ll work just as hard to prove the track has value as you would for one of your own original songs, because your average listener won’t recognize it. ![]() The first is that if you choose a song that isn’t widely known already - a deep cut by a famous artist or a “cult” classic that’s only adored by a niche audience - you lose most of the benefits of a cover song while keeping all the challenges: making the recording great, properly promoting it, etc. There are a couple other dangers of cover songs that may be less obvious. The track still has to be exceptional, and different enough from the original to offer something new. Of course that’s the same danger with any track you release, so it’s not a problem inherent to covers.īut it’s worth knowing ahead of time: You don’t get any extra points just because the song is a cover. You’re not guaranteed results. The cover doesn’t open doors or get you on playlists. The track doesn’t reach as many people as you’d hoped. The obvious danger of a cover song is that you spend lots of time arranging, recording, and releasing it… and not much happens. What a cover song CAN’T do for you as an artist
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