Pictures of Synths on Album Covers?

Rufuss Sewell 🎙️ · 7th August 2024

Hi, anyone know if it’s cool to have pictures of gear, or perhaps a picture of your studio as an album cover?

Let’s say there’s an 808, Sub 37, Odyssey, a modular synth with 50 different manufacturer’s modules etc. Some logos visible.

There are certainly countless album covers with gear on them. Live music videos with all kinds of gear. Would I need permission from all these companies to use a studio pic for an album cover? Or is there a fair use situation for things like this?

ToyBox · 7th August 2024

I've no clue what the law says and I'm not lawyer or anyone with the relevant expertise, but there are a lot of objects in your studio and I can't imagine why the audio related ones among them would have to be handled differently.

If you have to ask for them then surely you'll have to ask for the carpet, the tables, the lamps, and every cable in the room, etc. It's absurd.

I assume you did not ask before putting pictures on your website either.

teevee · 7th August 2024

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rufuss Sewell ➡️

Hi, anyone know if it’s cool to have pictures of gear, or perhaps a picture of your studio as an album cover?

Let’s say there’s an 808, Sub 37, Odyssey, a modular synth with 50 different manufacturer’s modules etc. Some logos visible.

There are certainly countless album covers with gear on them. Live music videos with all kinds of gear. Would I need permission from all these companies to use a studio pic for an album cover? Or is there a fair use situation for things like this?

I don’t see any problem as long as you don’t associate the brand in a negative way.

I also see countless of videos on Youtube where the logo of peoples laptop is visible…[example Apple]

flat · 7th August 2024

If you are worried, you could always have a little bit of fun in photo shop rearranging letters etc

Ron Mael did to excellent effect

.. but tbh, having a brand name in view is doing the company a favour . They put big bold logos on the back of their synths for very good reason.

Fall@urfeat · 1 week ago

I was trying to think of album covers that had pictures of synths and/or drum machines on the cover.

I'm sure there is a few but only one came to mind -

qwanta · 1 week ago

flat · 1 week ago

A single, but a classic one.

Fall@urfeat · 1 week ago

I thought if I could find two more we could have the 'original' Lords of Synths from the 1985 Grammy Awards...

MadSlut · 1 week ago

TANGERINE DREAM · 1 week ago

Keith Emerson’s Christmas Album

PKMKII · 1 week ago

The cover of Author & Punisher’s Ursus Americanus has him behind his custom rig. So technically not synths, but synth and sampler controllers.

pr0gr4m · 1 week ago

Poly Eight Double Oh!

KevBKeys · 1 week ago

Juno 60 front and rear.

Stu Pete · 1 week ago

This one comes to mind...

Pablo668 · 1 week ago

These two were the first to come to mind. One of them kind of doesn't count.

Fall@urfeat · 1 week ago

Could this be Vangelis, as a true visionary and all-round Greek God, with the idea of 'The Cloud' forty years before Roland engineers?

😁

flat · 1 week ago

Not sure which album or single this was from (a 12"?)

Fall@urfeat · 1 week ago

"All aboard the Switched On bandwagon..."

flat · 1 week ago

Rick liked his Korgs

Trem · 1 week ago

Trem · 1 week ago

Trem · 1 week ago

This one has always been a mystery to me, GZA’s album called Pro Tools

User30809 · 1 week ago

LWG · 1 week ago

Perplexo · 1 week ago

Here's a couple:

kpatz · 1 week ago

This might not have been on the album cover itself but inside, I remember it from the CD.

Naked Eyes’ “Burning Bridges” showing a Prophet 5.

Perplexo · 1 week ago

Another:

Synthio · 1 week ago

Fall@urfeat · 1 week ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trem ➡️

From the title and look, DMX appeared to be a kind of a musical version of the Borg. More surprising then, they are using Roland and Akai instruments and not the more obvious choice.

Also, I'm not sure Akai's warranty extends to their MPC's being thumped by bits of wood.

Alvaro Laguna · 1 week ago

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