CLOSE
LICENCING NOTES - Please Read Carefully!
How do I legally release a cover song on digital platforms?
Thanks to an update made in 2021 to The Musical Works Modernisation Act, it is now a lot easier to release a cover song on streaming platforms.
The streaming platforms are in charge of making sure the original owners get their share of the royalties and your Aggregator should assist you with
any required formalities when releasing a cover version.
In short, it is legal to release a cover song uniquely on streaming platforms without a Mechanical License in all territories excluding the United States,
Canada, Mexico, Japan, India and Pakistan.
However, you will need to acquire a Mechanical License if you want to make your song available Worldwide and on download platforms.
How do I get a Mechanical License and which Aggregator should I use?
If you want your cover song to be available in all territories and for download as well as streaming a Mechanical License is required.
Some Aggregators get the license for you and others require you to use outside services.
Here are the most popular digital distributors and how they function when it comes to getting a Mechanical License.
DistroKid : Requires you to obtain the Mechanical License through them directly, when uploading your music you have the option to click on
“Another artist wrote it”. They charge an annual fee to obtain the license and manage your release from which they then pay the original artists their
share of the royalties.
TuneCore : Requires you to obtain the Mechanical License through MCPS, Songfile or their partner company TuneLicensing.
CD Baby : Requires you to obtain the Mechanical License and recommends using MCPS, Songfile or Easysong.
Ditto : No license is required to release cover songs to streaming platforms, but you'll need a Mechanical License for download stores.
If you use any another aggregator, you should check their Terms & Conditions in respect of releasing "cover" versions.
