Soundalikes/crack down etc

["andre" <andre@monmouth.com>]

>- Eddie Van Halen, when being shit on about "Right Now" being used in a
beer
>commercial or some such enterprise, responded that if he didn't liscense
the
>song, the beer company would just hire session musicians to record a
sound-
>alike version, pay the (pittance) royalty associated with covering the
song,
>and VH would get nothing, compared to what they got for the use of the
song.

Yep , "soundalikes" is a familiar term in the session world. Happens every
day , I believe.
But couldn`t Van Halen deny them the right to cover his song? Andrew Loyd
webber does it all the time. 

But , with all due respect - i think you missed the point here - a
SOUNDALIKE is beyond the reach (pretty much) of the artist... it took Leon
Redbone a couple years to win such a case - and for him they were also
using a LOOKALIKE in the ads... ..so.. 

I heard a commercial with a santana -sounding song (not that hard to do,
tho' i love Carlos & his music dearly) For that, i doubt he got a cent nor
could he do much....

andre'