Expert: Ilya Yakovlev - 12/7/2001

Question
Hi Ilya
U were so helpful + friendly last time I asked about Phil, I thought I'd ask u another question! When Phil recorded Groovy Kind of Love, do u know how much he had to pay whoever owned the song rights? Also, do u know why composers of songs sometimes sell the rights to the songs? Thanks very much!

Answer
Hi Scott,

To be honest, this is unfamiliar turf for me :-) I could not find the specific amount Phil had to pay to the authors of A Groovy Kind of Love. My Serious Hits Live CD insert says they are Carol Bayer Sager & Toni Wine. My guess is that these amounts as part of contracts are kept secret. As to why the rights to songs are sometimes sold, my other guess would be that musicians can make more money by selling the rights to their songs to be covered by another artist than they can by relying on current sales. I found an interesting site that might have some of the information you are looking for - http://www.getsigned.com/musiclaw/

Best wishes,

Ilya.