Eric Bell - Metallica are a pack of Bastards

[Ducky]

Didn't he write the guitar lick?

[lifeeternal]

He wrote the arrangement he gets the royalties.

[Kunt 4 Life]

The fact that he gets a few pence every time they play the song, every time someone buys the album or (legally) downloads/streams it is escaping him, it seems.

Does he?

Not an expert on how royalties work, but the song wasn't written by Thin Lizzy.

Wouldn't he get a performers fee still though regardless of writing credit?

[Mooncat]

He wrote the arrangement he gets the royalties.

You don't get royalties for an arrangement. The only thing that is traditionally eligible for copyright is the lyrics and melody of a song. Therefore, if you came up with a chord progression and the vocal melody for a song, you are the writer. Anything added after (a bassline, drums, a keyboard or guitar melody, even a guitar riff etc) is considered an arrangement and does not get you songwriting credits (unless agreed upon by the original songwriter). Basically, whomever writes the first piece of music is the writer. Then whomever writes the lyrics is also a writer. A famous example is Every Breath You Take by The Police. Chord progression and lyrics by Sting and the famous guitar line added afterwards by Andy Summers. Summers does not have a songwriting credit on that song (which apparently still earns Sting a fortune every year) and is famously bitter about it.

Of course we are currently in a flux period right now within the music industry where many frivolous cases are being brought against modern hit songs all the time. Unfortunately some of them have won too which is changing the law a bit, therefore making it much less clear. The Marvin Gaye estate are suing everyone lol. They won perhaps the most high profile case against Robin Thicke for Blurred Lines, claiming Thicke stole the "vibe" of Gaye's song Got to Give it Up (utter bullshit). They've also sued Ed Sheeran, and I think Lizzo. Lizzo is also facing a suit at the minute from Cece Peniston claiming the song Juice steals from her original song Finally (Google it, you'll know it) for stealing the phrase "ya-ya-ee". Uptown Funk has also been sued by every man and his dog now, and at least one case has one (for stealing from the song More Bounce to the Ounce). As long as these frivolous cases keep getting pursued (and won) then people are going to keep hazing and twisting what the law is in order to try and make an easy buck. This paragraph isn't really relevant to Bell/Metallica, it's just a bit more info about copyright if anybody is interested.

Wouldn't he get a performers fee still though regardless of writing credit?

In the sense of Metallica actually paying him to perform live with him, then only if they agree upon it. In terms of his involvement with the Thin Lizzy song, no. He would only get a performers' royalty if the Thin Lizzy version is played for example on a TV show, or on the radio, or included in a compilation CD. Live doesn't count for this.

[Carnage]

Given that the song's well over a century old, and so nowhere near living in copyright territory, surely Lizzy's version (and Bell's instrumentation and particular melody) being so distinctive, I'd be surprised if he wasn't entitled to something from it.

Incidentally, Google the song and it's Metallican't's version that comes up. Fuck off.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

When you see "Trad. arranged by ...", the arranger is getting a royalty.

[Mooncat]

Interesting, I didn't know about the  "Trad. arranged by ..." part of it.