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Back when I was in high school and college, I remember writing a number of term papers during those years. For those term papers, I was required to quote and cite the sources for each quote. For every paper, my instructors stressed that including quotes and their citations showed you did your research, and the quotes added strength to the points you made in your papers. For those term papers, my instructors never expected their students to personally track down the author(s) of the work(s) that were being quoted and ask for permission to quote the material.

Now, I really can't understand why anyone would think song lyrics shouldn't be treated the same way as someone quoting the written word for a school assignment. When quoting song lyrics, I think all a writer should have to do is to say what song they're quoting, and to cite the name(s) of the songwriter(s) of the song. Perhaps, a writer quoting song lyrics could also identify the artist or band that performs the song, to make sure that all citation bases are covered.

To me, having to ask to quote song lyrics is giving songwriters a kind of "special treatment" compared to other writers. In my opinion, if any songwriters truly believe a writer needs their explicit permission to quote their lyrics, then those songwriters are apparently suffering from a kind of "delusion of grandeur." Having to ask permission to quote song lyrics could seriously affect music reviewers, especially writers trying to review an album that has just been released. Depending on how long it took to get a response back from the various songwriters, it could delay the publication of a music review. For a brand new release, this delay could dilute the timeliness of the review.

Expecting writers to seek permission from a songwriter to quote song lyrics in what they are writing is beyond ridiculous. However, if a writer is going to quote song lyrics, then they'd better give proper citations for their quotes.

Learn more about this author, Lesley Aeschliman.
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