In its original meaning “cover” is a new performance of a well-liked musical piece in a rearrangement by different singers in different styles and manners. Although the origin of this word, which is commonly phrased as “cover song”, “making a cover” or “covering” in Turkish, is English based on ancient French (Coverir, 13th Century), it has long been used as it is in many languages. The most common equivalent in Turkish is “arrangement” (URL-1). According to Serrà (2010:307), “a cover version is an alternative rendition of a previously recorded song. Given that a cover may differ from the original song in timbre, tempo, structure, key, arrangement,  or  language of the vocals.” According to Tsai (2008:1670), “a cover version of a song refers to a new rendition of a song that was originally recorded and made popular by another artist.”

Arrangements are frequently encountered songs that have garnered a certain number of listeners in the past or present, thus becoming popular. There could be different reasons for rearranging a musical piece. Some of these could involve the desire of the artist to play the piece in a different interpretation, “sound” or style due to the musical concerns and likes of the artist. Tsai (2008: 1670) indicates that “It is often used as a means to attract audiences wholike a familiar song, or to increase the popularity of an artist by adapting a proven hit.” Arranged pieces could give the original song a new lease of life and lend it a new perspective. Some cover works garner even more acclaim and become more successful than the original song itself and as such they could be preferred over the original version.

Arrangements inherently display differences on many points compared to their originals. The way the song is performed could be completely different. As variations to the melody could be added, the lyrics could be interpreted differently or changed completely. The harmonic structure of the original piece could be altered to some or a large extent. The rhythmic structure or tempo of the song could be performed at a completely different level and style. Its orchestration could be altered completely and it could even be introduced as a different style of music, and this could be one of the reasons why such pieces could have a surprising impact on audiences.

In consideration of all the changes made, the resultant song is usually in a completely different timbre with a familiar melody and lyrics. The differences in the piece could reveal the likes of different groups of listeners. Acclaim is defined as: “aesthetic judgment and evaluation power based on a sentiment that is definitive, reliable, and fine distinctions; the ability to separate beauty from ugliness, subjective-personal color and certainty of aesthetic perception” (URL-3:TDK, 2016). According to Babacan (2011) “the differentiation of musical appreciation on the basis of numerous factors is the main reason behind the emergence of different genres of music today.” It is also possible for a song whose rearrangement has been performed without aiming for any effect on the listener, but the most important factors in its achieving acclaim are generally both a known song being heard in a new form as well as the song taking the form of a different music genre. On this subject Konecni (1982:500), in “Social Interaction and Musical Preference”, stated that stimulation affects music selection in a variety of ways, such as complexity, novelty, and perplexity, while Gregory (1988) commented that the tempo, rhythm, tone color, texture and resonance are also effective in the acclaim of music besides the noise level, which is one of the most important determinants of the reaction people will give to music (Witchel, 2010:46; Åženel, 2014:214).

The literature includes definitions, types and varied research studies regarding “cover”. To give an example, Mosser (2008) has provided detailed information on “cover songs” and especially cover types at the website “Popular Musicology Online”. In a study by Çakır (2012) titled “An Analysis on the ‘Cover’ Concept within Popular Music Culture in Turkey”, the “cover” concept used nationally and internationally has been analyzed from various perspectives, and the songs, whose arrange-ments were made and the performers and groups that performed arrangements the most were examined. Uslu (2012), in “Reflection to Academic Studies of the Confusion in Musical Terms”, has highlighted certain issues regarding the terms used in literature in his study “Original, Parallel, Variation, Variant, Arrangement, Cover, Performance”, and the confusion about terms that express the same purpose especially in Turkish music such as “original, parallel, performance, variation, arrangement, transfer, emulation, dressing, variant” and “mold melody, motive expression, mold motive”. Yano (2005) studied the cover versions of the “enka” song form, which is a popular type of Japanese music with emotional undertones. Yoneoka (2008) on the other hand studied the process in which American popular songs of the 1950s were made into covers by Japanese artists and the cultural differences that this process revealed.

When the related literature is studied, it could be observed that there is a considerable body of research pertaining to the factors that give rise to likes and dislikes in music. Åženel (2014:216) has defined individual factors that determine musical preference as age, gender, ethnic background, personality, and the listening state of the person that defines the psychological state of the person, and expressed that while the effect of these may display fluctuations based on the person or conditions, these factors that seem to be personal are also entwined with social factors. Social factors may be listed as social class, family, peers, enculturation, media, and prestige, and most researchers state that the most important factor in the formation of musical preference is the social context the music is in.

The purpose, in Barry and Walls (1999)’s study was to obtain reactions of preservice teachers to aural examples of various musical styles and genres. Popular music was rated highest and instrumental selections rated lowest by preservice teachers. The pieces were from another culture and non-English songs. Also, students with music experience gave higher ratings for instrumental and western art music and lower ratings for popular genres compared to students without music experience.

The aim of Gürgen (2015)’s study was to investigate if there is any connection between musical preference, genre identification and frequency of listening to music genres, and whether musical training and gender play a role in these factors. As a result of the correlation analysis, a statistically significant relationship was found between the students’ musical preferences and the frequency with which they listened to that music. In a study that was conducted by Ferrer et al. (2013), the participants were asked to specify their favourite musical genres and their musical preferences. Researchers found that for 29% of the individuals, the genre-based measures did not successfully account for their musical preferences. In the Ginocchio's (2008) study, participants' degree of preference for styles of popular, jazz, and classical music was examined and the results were compared to Leblanc's (1979) findings. The participants mostly preferred punk rock music followed by pop, rap, dance, heavy metal, hard rock, and country music. The least favored styles were traditional jazz and romantic classical music. Compared to Leblanc’s (1979) study, there was a similarity in the raking of styles despite a decline in overall music preference since the study.

The purpose of another study conducted by Mace et al. (2011) was to examine how well individuals were able to identify different music genres from very brief excerpts and whether musical training, gender and preference played a role in genre identification. Listeners were asked to identify genre from classical, jazz, country, metal, and rap/hip hop excerpts. Musical training was found to affect genre identification, and in general, these findings support a primary conclusion that people are adept at identifying particular genres when presented with excerpts that are one second or less.

Artemiz (2009) stated that the genres listened by adolescents differ according to gender and socio-economic level. In the study, girls prefer mostly pop music and boys prefer to listen to rock and arabesque music. Also, the students from low socio-economic status like to listen to arabesque and folk music. According to Özden and Barışeri (2010) in general, university students like to listen to pop music and Turkish pop music and they use television and the Internet to reach music albums they like. Uslu (2010) determined that music teachers and students listened to music to obtain culture. In his study, while students often listen to Turkish Folk Music, teachers prefer to listen to Turkish Classical Music. Babacan’s (2011) study concluded that musical appreciation of university students could varies depending on gender, age, department, practices of active music making, music players used, favorite genre and their motives. According to findings, the students who are actively making music prefer mainly rock music, the students who are not making music prefer mostly pop music.

It could be stated that the literature examines the relationship between the appreciation of music genres and individual and social factor.

Although the importance of structural features and other conditions for the appreciation of music cannot be ignored, the meaning and importance of music for people cannot be understood or discussed without taking into consideration the impact of social circumstances. It is not possible to consider and derive conclusions from all the factors that could lead to preference of a piece. For this reason it would not be possible just to list the factors that could affect a person and determine the music he/she likes (Åženel, 2014:220).

Based on all these, it could be said that new studies on factors that shape individuals' acclaim could be conducted, and the results could bring new dimensions for further works. This study is not directly intended to explain preferences for genres and their reasons; it is about the reasons of selection of a cover song made particularly for a style. In this sense, no studies directly related to this topic have been found within the context of relevant literature. The aim of this study is to examine the levels of acclaim of the re-arranged versions of popular songs, and the reasons for such appreciation. In this context, the following questions were posed:

1. What is the distribution of music types that the subjects would like to listen to?

2. What are the criteria that the subjects consider when deciding to like or dislike a song?

3. What is the distribution of the preferences between original and cover versions of songs?

4. What are the reasons for liking the song chosen by the subjects?

The study has been conducted on the basis of the qualitative research method. Qualitative research is defined as research in which the process followed is oriented towards establishing perceptions and events in the natural environment in a realistic and integral manner by using data collection methods such as observation, interview, and document analysis (Yıldırım and ÅžimÅŸek, 2000:14-19).  In line with the purpose of the study, the researcher selected three different types of musical pieces and in addition to the three original pieces selected two different re-arranged (covers) versions of each. The research subjects were the second semester junior and senior preservice music teachers of the 2014-2015 academic year (n: 49). The preservice teachers who take music education were selected on purpose because it has been considered that they can express "style differences" more comfortably than "genre differences". In determining the subjects, the purposeful sampling was used to ensure that subjects could express the musical terms more easily as they had already completed the course on basic music theories. The subjects were asked to listen to the original songs and their cover versions. Then they completed open-ended survey questions regarding their likes and the reasons for their likes. In the first part of the questionnaire, the subjects were asked about the type of music they often prefer listening to and the points which make them like the piece and affect their preferences. The second part included the questions pertaining to 3 different musical pieces. In the questions, they were asked to choose between the original songs or cover versions for each song and write down the reasons for their choice. The questionnaire consisted of 5 open-ended questions. A frequency distribution table of the data obtained for the first question and the cover choices was provided, while the second question and the opinions as to the reasons for the selected piece were resolved by means of content analysis report. Content analysis is a method that is mainly used in the analysis of written and visual data and deduction is used in this method (Özdemir, 2010:335). Content analysis involves combining and organizing, and then interpreting similar data around a specific set of concepts and themes (Yıldırım and ÅžimÅŸek, 2000:162). By means of this method, the researcher coded the sections that are meaningful among the data sets (words, sentences, paragraphs), determined categories from the concepts obtained and organized the concepts according to the categories. The list of musical pieces used in the study and their specifications are provided thus:

Original Song-1: Billie Jean (Michael Jackson). Although the song is generally classified as funk, Dance-Pop, it is also classified as Post-Disco and  R&B.  The introduction, which features dominant drum and bass patterns in medium tempo then turns into a strong pop-funk timbre as electrical and electronic (synth) instruments are added to the flow. The funky guitar riffs that can be heard all through the song and the song itself reveal a timbre specific to the 1980s, displaying the vocal technique and falsettos unique to the solo vocal.

Cover-1: Billie Jean (The Civil Wars). In this recording, the couple (man and woman vocals) provides a lively performance accompanied by acoustic guitar. Frequently dual sound polyphony dominates the song. The acoustic guitar accompaniment is in the country-blues style. The song’s tempo is slowed down and at specific points puandorg and rubato are used. The song has been recorded in a lively and acoustic manner.

Cover-2: Billie Jean (Anderson & Roe). Anderson and Roe, the piano virtuosos, performed the song in a four-hand arrangement made for the piano. They handled the song as a classical piece in this rendition, and extended the sentences and periods to quite a degree. Using each and every dynamic of the piano they paid tribute to tastes that varied from Edward Grieg and Rachmaninoff to Gershwin (URL-2).

Original Song-2: All About That Bass (Meghan Trainor). In this song that was composed in pop style in a studio, a variety of electronic instruments and back vocals were used. It has a retro timbre reminiscent of the 1940s and 50s, and its high tempo and dynamic style is very entertaining.

Cover-1: All About That Bass (Avi Kaplan). Contrary to the crowded and lively composition of the original recording, three vocals and one acoustic guitar perform in this version. A calm performance can be heard accompanied by acoustic guitar on continuous basis, back vocals and solo vocal with bass undertones.

Cover-2: All About That Bass (Kate Davis). In the recording, a jazz trio consisting completely of acoustic instruments is heard. A female vocal has been added to the orchestra consisting of a piano, drum and contrabass. The piece has been arranged in swing style in this recording, its tempo has been slowed down and performed in the style of a typical jazz band.

Original Song-3: DeÄŸirmenler [Mills] (Bülent Ortaçgil). In this recording, a vocal, acoustic guitar, electric bass, e-bow and drums were used. The recording is generally in the acoustic style. The song was recorded in a calm and medium tempo while it was performed in jazz style.

Cover-1: DeÄŸirmenler (Deniz Sipahi). In this performance, which was recorded in a lively style, with the exception of the electric bass all instruments used are acoustic. The tempo  and  harmony  in  the original recording was preserved but the female vocal lent a new interpretation to the song. In comparison to the original recording, a half-time shuffle rhythm pattern was used, and this lent some funky timbre to the song.

Cover-2: DeÄŸirmenler (Teoman). In this recording, which is taken from a concert, only strings were used to accompany the vocal. The tempo of the song was reduced, and in general it is possible to hear the calm and whole bows of strings accompanying the vocal. In the introduction and middle, new parts were added to the arrangement but sentences from the original theme were also used.

The distribution of the music types that the subjects would like to listen to

The distribution of the music types that the subjects would frequently like to listen to is provided in Table 1. According to this result, more than half of the subjects (53.1%) prefer to listen to popular music. According to the table, other types of music in the following order classical music, jazz and blues, Turkish classical music, Turkish folk music, rock and authentic music, display a distribution close to each other.

 

 

 

 

Criteria used by subjects in liking or disliking a song

Factors that subjects pay attention to in liking or disliking a musical piece are shown in Table 2. In general, opinions were expressed in regard to the vocal skills of the performer, harmony between the music and lyrics, the general musical qualifications of the piece, melodic and harmonic structure of the piece, arrangements of the piece and the use of instruments. In general terms the subjects mostly (n=22) stated that they paid attention to the song being understandable and appealing, and of a quality that makes it likeable. Secondly, subjects gave their opinions on the musical properties of the song such as being different, having a wide range of nuances, having quality and being soothing (n=20). However, opinions have arisen with respect to instruments being used correctly and equally (balanced) in regard to the use of instruments, use of instruments that are suitable for the type of music, correct tones of instruments, clear interpretation of instruments, and distinct bass guitar use.

 

 

 

 

Distribution of the preferences between original and cover versions of songs

In Table 3 the preference distribution of the song Billie Jean and its covers can be seen. According to the table, the subjects mainly preferred The Civil Wars interpretation (53.1%) in the first piece. This was followed by the original recording (28.6%) and the piano duet of Anderson and Roe (18.4%). 

 

 

 

 

Table 4 shows the preference distribution for the second piece; All About That Base. According to the table, the Kate Davis recording, where a contrabass accompanies her vocals, was preferred the most (40.8%) among the original and cover versions of this song. This is followed by the original recording of Meghan Trainor (34.7%) and Avi Kaplan’s a cappella interpretation (24.5%).

 

 

 

 

Table 5 shows the preference distribution for the last piece DeÄŸirmenler. According to the table, all versions of the song display a close percent preference; among these Deniz Sipahi’s (34.7%) vocalization of the song in a live performance received the highest preference (34.7%). 

 

 

 

 

The reasons for liking the songs selected by the subjects

In Table 6 categories are provided in line with the opinions of the subjects who liked the original recording of Billie Jean regarding the song. Accordingly, the categories were formed regarding the characteristics of the music type of the piece, its instrumentation, and harmony and the sensations and emotions it gives rise to. Based on this it can be said that this song, which has become an icon from the 80s to now, has among its reasons that stand out most for its acclaim, the views regarding its reflecting the character of the 80s, its original recording being better in terms of interpretation and arrangement, its vibrant structure and the sensation and feelings it leaves the listener with.

 

 

 

 

Table 7 includes the opinions of the subjects that preferred The Civil Wars duet rendition of the Billie Jean song and the categories determined in line with these opinions. Accordingly, categories were formed regarding the use of polyphony, the instruments used in the song, harmonization and arrangement of the song and the sensation and feelings it leaves the listener with. The highest number of opinions expressed regarding this piece was in the sensations and emotions the song created in the subjects (n=11). Also, the calming effect of the piece, its relaxing quality, emotional, and fulfilling nature, the fact that it involves emotions and sounds good at the same time were the qualities about which opinions were most expressed. On the other hand, the comments made regarding the arrangement of the piece (n=9) were directed to its acoustic interpretation, and good recording and performing quality. Another point in favor of the song was its duet style vocalization.

 

 

 

 

In Table 8, the opinions are shown of subjects that liked the four-hand rendition of the song Billie Jean on the piano in a new arrangement by Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe along with associated categories. Accordingly, categories were formed regarding the instruments used in the song, the interpretation, the arrangement of the song and the sensation and feelings it leaves the listener with. Regarding this recording, subjects stated an equal number of opinions in each category. Opinions have been stated in appreciation of the four-hand performance of the virtuoso pianists as well as the detailed arrangement they came up with. The flamboyance of the interpretation, its fullness and out of the ordinary quality were the points that garnered the most appreciation among the subjects.

 

 

 

 

In Table 9, the opinions of the subjects that liked the original recording of the song All About That Base by Meghan Trainor are provided along with associated categories. Accordingly, categories were formed regarding the version and vocals of the song, instruments used in the song, the arrangement of the song and the sensation and feelings it leaves the listener with. This song, which has a retro sound according to the subjects, is most liked due to its dynamic, exciting, vibrant and entertaining quality (n=6). The original recording listened to more due to the fact that it is played more frequently in the media, and the well-liked vocals of the performer were the factors cited for liking this version of the song (n=5). Another opinion for liking the original song better was the nice vocals and its harmonious quality with the music (n=3).

 

 

 

 

In Table 10, the opinions of the subjects that liked the arrangement of the song made by Avi Kaplan in accompaniment of an acoustic guitar and two vocals are provided along with associated categories. Accordingly, categories were formed regarding the vocals and backing vocals of the song, the arrangement of the song and the sensation and feelings it leaves the listener with.

 

 

 

 

The subjects have indicated their appreciation of mostly the vocal tone of Avi Kaplan that is known for his distinct tone of voice, the vocal group that made an impression with their cappella performance (n=8), use of polyphonic vocals in the recording and the harmony of the vocals among each other and the music. According to the table, the stronger and nicer tones of this arrangement, the impact it makes, sounding nice as well as being soothing and more emotional were the qualities that garnered the most appreciation among the subjects.

Table 11 contains the opinions and associated categories regarding the recording of Kate Davis arranged by Scott Bradlee from the Postmodern Juke Box Band. Accordingly, categories were formed regarding the type and vocals of the song, instruments used in the song, the arrangement of the song and the sensation and feelings it leaves the listener with. This has become one of the best liked covers thanks to the interpretation of vocal and contrabass artist Kate Davis. According to the table, the performance of the recording in Swing Jazz style, the fact that the subjects like this style and consider it close to their hearts (n=7), the acoustic nature of the instruments used in the  piece  and  the  presence  of  the contrabass in the recording (n=7) were the main subjects well-liked by the subjects. Other qualities that garnered the appreciation of the subjects were the arrangements in harmony, the nice and rich sound of the harmony, distinct, striking and nice sound the chords make, the exceptionally good piano part (n=5).

 

 

 

 

In Table 12, the opinions and associated categories regarding the song DeÄŸirmenler are provided. Accordingly, categories were formed regarding the type and vocals of the song, instruments used in the song, the arrangement of the song and the sensation and feelings it leaves the listener with. As expressed by the subjects, the unique style of Ortaçgil, who has carved an important place for himself in Turkish jazz and popular music as well as the performance of his own composition in this recording, are the main factors that garnered the most appreciation (n=8). The fact that this is a simpler piece of music that calms the person as well as being more emotional is another reason why it was well-liked (n=5).

 

 

 

 

In Table 13, the opinions and associated categories regarding the recording of the song for a TV program are provided. Accordingly, categories were formed regarding the vocals of the song, instruments used in the song, the arrangement of the song and the sensation and feelings it leaves the listener with. According to the table, the subjects mostly focused on the instruments and the way they were played in this recording, which was taken during a live performance (n=8): the timbre that the guitar lends to the piece, the nice and rich sounds the instruments make and the emotions they reflect, the bass guitar and percussion instruments being liked (n=8) were the points that were indicated the most by the subjects. Other factors mentioned by the subjects were the well-liked instrumentation that can be heard better in a delightful way, richer sounds of the harmony and the striking acoustic interpretation. 

 

 

 

 

Table 14 includes the opinions and associated categories regarding the version of the piece recorded by Teoman. Accordingly, categories were formed regarding the version and vocals of the song, instruments used in the song, the arrangement of the song and the sensation and feelings it leaves the listener with. In this recording, which was taken from a live performance, the subjects commented on how the song was well-played and became soothing and intense due to being played by a group of strings and also indicated that it became striking due to the introduction to the song  with  strings  (n=6).  In terms of the emotions evoked in audiences, the piece was considered to be simple, relaxing, emotional and romantic, expressing the emotions and thoughts of the subjects (n=5) indicative of some of the major points of why they chose to like the song.

 

 

 

 

As a result of this study the types of music that the subjects like to listen to have been classified under seven categories. The music type that was most preferred by the subjects was popular music (53.1%). This category includes foreign pop, Turkish pop, slow, instrumental, techno and modern music. Popular music is followed by the western classical music and jazz and blues at similar rates (18.4%), Turkish classical music (16.3%), Turkish folk music and rock music at similar rates (14.3%) and finally authentic music (12.2%) in order of preference.

The criteria subjects took into consideration in deciding whether they like a musical piece have been grouped into eight categories as a result of the study. The subjects pay the most attention to the instrumentation arrangement of  a musical piece. Accordingly, a strong and understandable arrangement plays an important role in whether a piece is likeable or not along with the richness, and appeal of the same. Again a distinct difference regarding how a piece is played in comparison to its original, the wide nuance interval, its musicality, quality, soothing and relaxing nature as well as its easy flow are considered to be important factors. According to the subjects, the correct and balanced use of the instruments, use of instruments that are suitable for the type of music, correct tones of instruments, clear interpretation of instruments, and distinct bass use are the factors considered to be important in deciding whether or not to like a musical piece. Additionally the harmonic structure of the piece, the quality of the solo vocal in the piece, the prosody in the music, the melodic structure as well as the recording properties of a piece are considered to play an important role in deciding its likeability.

The first piece that the subjects listened to was Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean and its two cover arrangements. Among these the subjects liked the arrangement made by The Civil Wars most (53.1%). The subjects liked the simple, soothing and relaxing nature of the interpretation of the piece concerned (n=11) and some categories that are different from others have emerged regarding this piece. Especially in regard to the polyphonic vocals, opinions were stated regarding the presence of dual vocals and their clear quality, attention grabbing and effective nature of the dual vocals, dual vocals being heard in the foreground, interpretation and harmony of the dual vocals. Furthermore, opinions were stated as to the necessity of a clear singing voice oriented to the dual vocal use in the song, the female vocal’s voice being frail and elegant, the sound of the female vocal adding a separate simplicity to the song, its being performed with male and female vocals, and being sung in harmony.

The original recording of the second piece that the subjects listened to belongs to the song All About That Base by Meghan Trainor; the most liked cover version of this song was the interpretation by Kate Davis (40.8%). The first one of the features that attracted attention in comparison to the other versions was the swing style added by the orchestra. In connection to this, the instruments of a jazz band in the recording and especially the use of the contrabass was the other factor that garnered the most attention.

The last piece that the subjects listened to was a musical piece named DeÄŸirmenler, which was composed by Bülent Ortaçgil and although the difference between various versions of this song is not vast, the one with Deniz Sipahi in vocals had the highest rating (34.7%). In this recording, the use of the instruments and band could be heard more dominantly along with the use of percussions, reflection of the harmony, and the bass guitar, as noticed by the subjects, especially in comparison  to   other   versions;   they   considered   this version to be more delightful to listen to, richer in terms of instruments and harmony, and more striking in terms of its acoustic interpretation. 

According to the conclusions of the research study, when the acclaim of subjects was examined for all of the three pieces, it was observed that cover interpretations were preferred. At this point it could be said that the cover versions breathe fresh air into the original piece and therefore they are preferred more. This conclusion is similar to Tsai’s (2008: 1670) comment that “It is often used as a means to attract audiences who like a familiar song.“ The polyphonic and distinctly different vocal use in the Billie Jean recording of The Civil Wars, the swing interpretation in the All About That Base recording by Kate Davis, and the contrabass solo, and finally the live performance of the band in the interpretation of DeÄŸirmenler by Deniz Sipahi are considered to be the main reasons why these cover versions are liked more.

There are similarities between the criteria subjects have considered in liking a piece and their views on the pieces they like. A good voice tone and the timbre of a vocal, good use of voice, use of backing vocals, use of different chords, the rich and appealing arrangement of the piece, their power to render a piece likeable, soothing and relaxing, correct and balanced use of the instruments, a cleanly performed rendition and use of definite bass in the piece are some of the points that are used in comparing different versions.

Even though the study conducted does not provide a clear conclusion regarding the relational cause between the reasons for music preferences and the acclaim according to the selected song, based on the conclusions the different arrangements of popular songs (acoustic playing, style difference, tone color in vocal, changes in harmony, use of different instruments and differences in instrument performances) tend to form a different acclaim in the listener compared to the original recording. However, in consideration of the study results, it can be said that the acoustic recordings (use of acoustic instruments, live performance recordings) have a distinctly different impact on the musical piece. At this junction we are hopeful that the results of this study will provide guidance to new studies researching cover arrangements in popular music.

The authors have not declared any conflict of interests.