Making Parodies?

Question

I want to make A parody but need to know if there are rules...
1. Do i need permission?
2. For the words do i need to make it all different or can i use the words but alter it?

Any more laws and stuff tell me please

Answer 1

You never need permission to perform a song. You have to pay royalties on the money you make from the song though. This is true also for karaoke clubs.

Now for the tricky part. Many big bands DO NOT own their own songs. They get contracts from the studios to perform songs for a fee. It's very possible you can really blow chunks singing "Welcome to the Jungle" at a sold out concert and there is nothing Axel Rose can do, because he might not own the rights to the song. Some bands, when they get richer, form theri own lables which is basically saying they want rights to theri own songs now. My suggestion is to call the record label of the song you want to parody and ask for a copy of the royalty contract. It should provide you with the information on what to do.

Answer 2

Under copyright law's "fair use" doctrine – affirmed by the United States Supreme Court — one does not need permission to record a parody.

http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/92-1292.ZS.html

Answer 3

you have to have permission. you have to alter the words a bit. try not to plagerise.