So I'm in a band now. Well, not really, we're part of the Queen's Busking Club, but my point is the same: since we're a fairly new band and we're all getting used to each other, obviously we're just going to keep it simple and cover songs that everyone already knows.
My question is this: What is the etiquette of this? Is it considered poor form to do it without notifying the original artists? Obviously, if it's a huge band like Pink Floyd that's a little impractical and chances are they won't care either. But what about for smaller/indie bands? I'm pushing to do a song by my favourite band, who are pretty small. Historically, they are totally okay with people covering their songs (especially the one I want to do! There's dozens of covers of it!), but what do you think? Do I need to give them a heads up?
(to make matters even more complicated/potentially awkward - the lead singer lives in the same city as me. Since we're playing in a public place, there's always the chance he could see us doing it.)
Does it make a difference if you're getting paid or not? We busk strictly for charity, we don't keep any of the proceeds.
