{"id":25867,"date":"2023-05-24T12:39:52","date_gmt":"2023-05-24T19:39:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/presskitchen.com\/?p=25867"},"modified":"2026-01-28T09:50:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T09:50:20","slug":"key-to-the-perfect-commercial-cover-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.techsystintel.com\/press_kitchen_dev\/key-to-the-perfect-commercial-cover-song\/","title":{"rendered":"Little Black Book Shares The Key to the Perfect Commercial Cover Song with Squeak E. Clean Studios and BUTTER Music + Sound"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some of the industry\u2019s top musicians speak to LBB\u2019s Josh Neufeldt about reworking classic tunes, critical pitfalls to avoid, and how a well-done cover can add entirely new dimensions to a body of work.<\/h1>\n

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Who doesn\u2019t love a good cover song? After all, a fresh take on a fan favourite can truly be a joy to listen to. Whether it\u2019s an homage or a re-imagining, the novelty of hearing a new form of creative expression around something already well-loved never really wears off, and often, it creates a resurgence of strong appreciation for the original material.\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
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Of course, that all relies on the assumption that the cover is good. While we won\u2019t be naming and shaming today, it\u2019s fair to say that a bad cover sticks out like a sore thumb, and leaves an impression for a very, very long period of time. So, how does one avoid this? And, more importantly, how does one actually strike commercial gold, connecting with the audience instantly, while also cutting costs in the process?\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
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To learn the answer, LBB\u2019s Josh Neufeldt sat down with Squeak E Clean Studios executive creative director Rob Barbato, Eclectic Music director\/composer Simon Elms, Mophonics creative director Steph Altman, Grayson Music Group’s music and voice director Ali Willa Milner and music supervisor Warren Bray, SixtyFour senior producer and music supervisor Julianne Wilson, Yessian Music partner and CCO Brian Yessian, South Music creative director\/partner Dan Pritikin, MAS co-founder\/president James Alvich, Good Ear Music Supervision music supervisor Danielle Toporoff, BUTTER Music and Sound composer Josh Canevari, Jingle Punks executive creative director Matt Chambless, and BETC music creative director Adam Ghoubali.<\/i><\/div>\n
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Rob Barbato
\n<\/b>Executive creative director at\u00a0<\/b>Squeak E Clean Studios<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n
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When you get the chance to cover a great song, the first thing you should do is make it your own, whether that is through the reharmonization of the chord progression, a change in the feel or time signature, or a tweaking of the melody. Through drastic or more surgical changes, you can breathe life into a song and avoid the dreaded \u2018karaoke\u2019 or \u2018sound-alike\u2019 labels, which not only lack creativity, but can also land you into some legal grey areas.<\/div>\n
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On Canon\u2019s \u2018Inspired\u2019, I took the public domain song \u2018Beautiful Dreamer\u2019, which was first published in 1864, and updated it into a more modern indie-folk arrangement. Here is where the music nerd in me comes out. The first thing I did was change the metre from a waltz in 3\/4 to a 4\/4 feel in the drums, making it feel less \u2018old-timey\u2019. The vocals are in a 6\/4 phrasing, creating a polyrhythm and subtle odd-time signature feel. The icing on the cake was Rachel Fannan\u2019s stellar vocals to make this a more of a match for the film – really driving the commercial with a more current aesthetic.<\/div>\n
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