Licensing For Vocal Replacement

[SoSueMe]

In the case of Warner, for example, is a mechanical license needed to record an alternate (new) vocal track over the original music/instrumentation of a hit song, to be distributed to a limited audience for demonstration purposes only?

How about to a wide audience via youtube?

I guess this would be a form of Karaoke (but without a lame sequenced version of the music)?

[narcoman]

mechanical license for release. BUT also you'd have to contact the owners of the physical recording AND musicians for a separate unregistered use of the original backing track.

[SoSueMe]

Originally Posted by narcoman

mechanical license for release. BUT also you'd have to contact the owners of the physical recording AND musicians for a separate unregistered use of the original backing track.

Thanks, narcoman. Do you mean backing vocal tracks, assuming they're there and I want to use them? Or, the original vocal track that will be replaced?

[narcoman]

no. The instrumental track. Contact the master rights holder - unless you can buy a karaoke version with all of the rights already cleared. Depends what you want to use it for...