Doctor Whomix

Doctor Who is a very successful and popular television program around the world. There is even a remix site dedicated entirely to music from the show - or more specifically remixes of one specific version of the theme song. The site itself is built up as an extension of the fan experience and some of the more recent comments include both music related questions and comments and comments expressing love or support for the show.

Overall however, this site deserves mention as it is an interesting example of how different people conceptualize and use the same base song. It exemplifies the individuality and creativity that exists within remix culture, as all of these remixes are based on the same original song. Despite this common material however, the different choices and ideas people have developed can make some of the remixes  hard to detect as the original song, while in other the source material remains evident to those familiar with it.

BBC Radio 1 Covers

In the strictest sense, a cover is a remix, lifting the lyrics and major instrumentals at minimum. As a category of music, it highlights the musical talents of the artist by referencing a ubiquitous piece to act as a benchmark of vocal talent, originality in performance, etc.  

BBC 1 Live Lounge has a tradition of having musical guests cover the hit song of the day. Some are incredibly similar to the original, leveraging the in the nuances of performance to make it unique. 

The Kooks - Pumped up Kicks by Foster the People
uploaded by MELOMANODAV 

Others, still working inside of cover category, are notably different in tone, emotion, narrative, etc.; all the soft interpretations that make art enjoyable.  

The Noisettes - When You Were Young by the Killers

uploaded by pheonix music and movies

And still, the cover can be extended further, keeping only the barest musical forms like written chord progression and melody. 

Lady Gaga - Viva la Vida by Coldplay

uploaded by Little Fame Monster

So, at what point has a cover moved beyond the referential? At some point, it sounds like the only requirement for a performance to be a cover is the citation.  

And what do we, as an audience, want out of a cover anyways?

PS. BBC1 Live Lounge still does this, and finally post them on their official channel, but all of the videos cited here pre-date the official channel. Anyone care to count all the people who could have these taken down and why they why it benefits them to keep it up?