Song Clearance Sheet
4 sources citedPopcorn
Electronic1960s136BPM
UnconfirmedKey
More around 140 BPM → · More “No Payment Mechanism” →
Tempo/key via Deezer →
The verdict
No Payment Mechanism
A confirmed, documented composer (Gershon Kingsley), but no realistic path to compensation for most uses: he sold the rights before the hit, and the song has been covered 815+ times across dozens of countries — a practical scale problem, not an adversarial dispute.
Used by independents?
Yes — covered by 815+ artists worldwide, the vast majority independent (most never even paying), including Hot Butter (1972).
Quick Facts
Released1969
AlbumMusic to Moog By
GenreElectronic, Synth-Pop
LabelAudio Fidelity Records
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The composer of record — Gershon Kingsley
Vintageking → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Yes — one of the earliest electronic chart hits (Hot Butter’s 1972 version: 2M+ copies, #9 Hot 100, #1 in six countries) and covered 815+ times worldwide.
Do they allow reuse?
A confirmed composer exists, but no realistic path to compensation for most uses — see the verdict. A practical scale problem, not a withholding party.
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Gershon Kingsley
A real early rights saleKingsley reportedly sold the rights before the Hot Butter hit — to fund his daughter’s university education — so he did not benefit proportionally to the song’s eventual global success.
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
An honest admission about the limits of global royalty tracking
The piece has reportedly been covered by 815+ artists across dozens of countries — with the vast majority never paying Kingsley, simply because it was covered too widely and across too many borders to realistically track and enforce. A practical scale problem, not an adversarial dispute.
Flashbak · read it →
An extraordinarily wide, delightful range of covers
Covers include an accordion version by Yvette Horner, a German lyric version by Die Travellers, a Middle Eastern guitar version by Omar Khorshid, a disco version by Pattie Brooks, and versions by Crazy Frog and the Muppets — among hundreds more.
Flashbak · read it →
One of the first electronic chart hits
Historically significant as one of the earliest primarily electronic pieces of music to chart internationally.
Wikipedia · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
815+ covers worldwide
Covers
1972
First flip
Big names who used itHot Butter · Crazy Frog · the Muppets
Who to Contact
GK
Gershon Kingsley
The confirmed composer — though he sold the rights before the hit
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
Don't Want the Hassle?
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Unique Angles Batch)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending a separate manual keyfinder pass