File:2Pac + Outlawz - Baby Don't Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II).jpg

This is the cover art for Baby Don't Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II). The cover art copyright is believed to belong to the record label or the graphic artist(s).
This is the cover art for Baby Don't Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II). The cover art copyright is believed to belong to the record label or the graphic artist. This is the front cover for the album Baby Don't Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II) by the artist 2Pac. The cover art copyright is believed to belong to the label, Interscope/Amaru/Death Row Records, or the graphic artist.

Derived from a digital capture of the album cover (creator of this digital version is irrelevant as the copyright in all equivalent images is still held by the same party). Copyright held by the record company or the artist. Claimed as fair use regardless.

Baby Don't Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II)

The entire cover: because the image is cover art, a form of product packaging, the entire image is needed to identify the product, properly convey the meaning and branding intended, and avoid tarnishing or misrepresenting the image.

The copy is of sufficient resolution for commentary and identification but lower resolution than the original cover. Copies made from it will be of inferior quality, unsuitable as artwork on pirate versions or other uses that would compete with the commercial purpose of the original artwork.

Header. The image is used for identification in the context of critical commentary of the work for which it serves as cover art. It makes a significant contribution to the user's understanding of the article, which could not practically be conveyed by words alone. The image is placed at the beginning of the article or section discussing the work, to help the user quickly identify the work and know they have found what they are looking for. Use for this purpose does not compete with the purposes of the original artwork, namely the artist's providing graphic design services to music concerns and in turn marketing music to the public.

As musical cover art, the image is not replaceable by free content; any other image that shows the packaging of the music would also be copyrighted, and any version that is not true to the original would be inadequate for identification or commentary. Using a different image as a header would be misleading as to the identity of the work.

Use of the cover art in the article complies with Wikipedia non-free content policy and fair use under the copyright law of the United States as described above.