Image Use & Fair Use
Behind the Covers is an editorial encyclopedia about the art and history of album covers. Writing about a cover means showing it. This page explains what images we use, the basis on which we use them, how we credit the people who made them, and how a rights holder can reach us.
The images on this site
The album covers reproduced here are the copyrighted work of their respective artists, photographers, designers, illustrators, and record labels. We do not own them and make no claim of ownership. They are included as low-resolution reproductions for the sole purpose of identifying and discussing the specific work each article is about.
Why we can use them: fair use
Our use of cover art is a good-faith exercise of fair use (17 U.S.C. § 107) for the purposes of commentary, criticism, scholarship, and education. Each image appears alongside substantial original analysis of that cover’s design, history, and cultural context — the image is not the product, the writing about it is. Consistent with that purpose:
- Images are reproduced at low resolution, suitable for identification and discussion but not for reproduction, print, or resale.
- Every cover is presented in a genuinely editorial context — a researched article about that specific work.
- We do not sell the artwork, offer downloads, or present it as our own creative output.
How we credit creators
Attribution is part of the editorial standard here, not an afterthought. Wherever the information is documented, each cover’s entry credits the people responsible — the designer, photographer, illustrator, art director, and record label — in the article’s facts and throughout the story itself. When a credit cannot be reliably verified, we say so rather than guess. Descriptive alternative text on every image also names the album and artist.
Our own original content
The written material on this site — the essays, historical research, visual analysis, captions, and editorial selections — is original work created for Behind the Covers and belongs to the site. Any original photography or licensed imagery we add is identified as such.
Sensitive artwork
A small number of historically significant covers contain imagery some readers may find sensitive. Where that is the case, the artwork is placed behind a “Sensitive cover art” notice and is not displayed until a reader chooses to view it — while the story still discusses the work in full.
For rights holders
If you are an artist, photographer, designer, label, or other rights holder and you would like a credit corrected, an image removed, or the use of a particular cover changed, please contact us and we will respond promptly and in good faith:
behindthecovers@protonmail.com
See also our Editorial Policy, Sources & Methodology, and Corrections policy.