The explosion of social media networks and music publishing platforms such as SoundCloud and YouTube has led to an increase in cover song licensing requests, and singers seeking permission to cover songs they plan on releasing. You can check if CSI cover a song license by searching either CMRRA’s or SODRAC’s repertoires. How to Sell Music on iTunes UK – Sell Your Songs! Give us a call and we can help you with your questions and custom licensing needs. You may have to find, contact and negotiate with the right's holder directly. It can help increase the exposure of the original artist’s music. Is there a European standard for royalty fees and covering songs? Cover song licences for the vast majority of music in the UK can be obtained from PRS for Music — and their affiliated organisations — who ensure that original creators receive the royalties. For example, when your band plays "Smooth Criminal" (written by Michael Jackson). Songs are covered by two separate types of copyright: one for the specific recording, and another which protects the underlying lyrics and musical composition. Do I need a licence to perform cover songs live? What are your experiences? The statutory rate does not apply, as the license fee would need to be negotiated with the copyright owner in … Now, if the artist/band wants to create a promotional music video based on the cover song, this requires license(s) as well, except that the license required is called a synchronization license. This is totally okay—DistroKid makes it easy and legal to sell cover songs. Like most forms of intellectual property, copyright, and large automobiles — if you don’t own or control it, you need a license to use it. In the UK, you won’t need any licenses to release a cover song. In the UK, a mechanical licence is required in order for you to record and distribute physical copies of your cover song. If you’re lucky, the song you wish to cover will exist in the Public Domain, and therefore, you won’t require a licence to use it. UK music copyright law protects the literary... Read more ». Does Soundcloud work the same way as youtube? This is done by getting permission from the rightsholder and in the UK, this is through MCPS. Quick answer: Don’t post cover songs on Facebook! When releasing a cover on streaming platforms, let a digital aggregator take care of the legal matters. You can obtain a mechanical license through the Harry Fox Agency. A "cover song" is a song that you performed & recorded yourself, but the music was written by someone else. DistroKid will obtain the required compulsory mechanical license for you. Loudr and Easy Song Licensing are independent services that charge a small service fee (about $15 per song) to secure a mechanical license for any song that you’d like to cover. No matter how unique and different your version is, someone else legally owns the song and is therefore entitled to royalties. If you intend to use copyrighted material as an audio-recording only: CD or digital stream, you’ll need a mechanical licence. Sampling is a completely separate copyright matter. "So, if you’re just going to release a cover song on YouTube but won’t be selling it, you don't need to obtain mechanical license. TheMusicLicences are controlled and obtained from PPL and PRS for Music, who collect and distribute royalties to the rightful copyright owners. Pick the license that fits your needs - choose a standard license or limited license based on how many downloads and streams you’ll receive. The idea of mechanical licenses came about the turn of the 19th century, with the popularity of player pianos, with the ability to play songs encoded on a roll of paper. We Now Offer Proof Of License! Royalty Solutions offers the music clearance services you need. If it is, you are free to release the cover as the store will organise that the correct mechanical royalty is paid to CSI. However, whilst covering a song and uploading it is the simple part, it can lead to legal complications if you then decide to release and make money from the track. Always double check if you suspect the song you wish to use is in the public domain; you need to establish who created the work, and when they died. Great site to get a mechanical license and find those hard to reach music producers to get clearance on popular cover songs. Why? A mechanical license is an agreement between a music user and the owner of a copyrighted composition (song), that grants permission to release the song in an audio-only format (interactive audio streams, digital downloads, CDs, vinyl). How does that differ from recording covers on a CD or audio medium and is it easy and/or expensive to obtain. You need a mechanical license to distribute your covers. If you want to license more than 250 units including the sound recordings, a PPL authorisation code … You DON’T need streaming licenses to distribute your cover song to our streaming partners (i.e. We’ll make sure your license never expires. *The mechanical license provided by Royalty Solutions only covers digital downloads. Therefore, if a song hasn’t been commercially released as a record then you can’t get a compulsory license. Bear in mind a song might have more than one creator, and it will only enter the public domain seventy years after the death of the last original creator. Master licenses are different to mechanical licenses as they cover the actual sound recording of a song, rather than the composition, lyrics & melody. Our artists are NOT on the hook for royalty payments on those kinds of streams. Best practices for creating and uploading a cover version – SoundCloud Help Center. ; I have no idea. While live performances of cover songs are the responsibility of the venue and YouTube cover songs will likely be sorted by their Content ID system (see above: Can I upload cover songs on YouTube? YouTube but won’t be selling it, you don't need to obtain mechanical license. If you have created a recording of a song that was written, recorded, and previously released by another artist, this is classified as a cover song. In the UK, a mechanical licence is required in order for you to record and distribute physical copies of your cover song. Many artists don’t know that sharing a video of a cover song on YouTube, without proper licensing, is in breach of UK copyright law. You may have to find, contact and negotiate with the right's holder directly. It’s when you record and publish the song that cover song licensing issues can arise. ), most other uses of copyrighted music (such as the use of a cover song on an album) will require a bit more legwork and, to be on the safe side, you should get your cover song licences in place before you start working with any cover material to save yourself the stress of your hard-work being thwarted by music copyright complications later on. However, it will cost if you plan on recording the cover version and then offering it for sale on a download website or as part of a physical CD or album product. However, musicians don’t need a license to cover a song live, it is the responsibility of the venue. Some original copyright owners are happy to see their songs covered and uploaded to YouTube by new artists. TIP: Master licenses can be a little trickier to obtain compared to Mechanical licenses. You don’t need to obtain a licence to perform a cover song in music competitions such as Open Mic UK and TeenStar. Do you share cover songs on YouTube? If you only plan on covering the song live at a gig, you won’t have any legal concerns. A "cover song" is a song that you performed & recorded yourself, but the music was written by someone else. The content in this article is just a general overview of the topic and should not be considered legal advice. The reason that is it called a Mechanical Licence is that it refers to physical copies of a song, such as a vinyl record and or a CD (DVDs and Video tapes). We use cookies on this website to enhance your user experience, By clicking any link on this page you are giving your consent for us to set cookies, Home >> Advice >> Cover Song Licensing Guide: Permission, Costs, & Royalties. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Cover Song Licensing. While there are some exceptions to this (such as public domain works), the golden rule is a common guideline that can helpful in determining what rights need to be licensed and how to obtain them. All the information I read states that you need a licence to record and distribute for sale or publish publicly. This means that the license won’t cover music videos or videos of you performing the cover. DistroKid will obtain the required compulsory mechanical license for you. 3. A new recording of an existing song requires a cover song license, referred to as a compulsory mechanical license. You need a mechanical license if you are planning on recording a song whose rights are owned by a publisher. Print License: Gives you the right to print lyrics or notes in a book, magazine, ebook or other publication. It isn’t compulsory to grant a mechanical license when there is no previous recorded version of a song. Not for resale. A mechanical license is not required for artists who record and distribute completely original work. In December, I recorded a demo of cover songs for distribution to venues, and also as a stocking stuffer for family. Mechanical License for the USA and Canada: Grants the licensee the right to reproduce an underlying composition for the purpose of phonographic sales (ie downloads, CDs, vinyl, etc.) Powered by the largest database of music compositions matched to sound recordings, HFA connects music users and rightsholders to get royalties to music creators. Physical product and downloads: $0.091 (9.1 cents) per unit for songs that are five minutes and under in length or $0.0175 (1.75 cents) per minute or fraction thereof, … So, do you need a licence to do cover songs? Mechanical Licensing for Cover Songs: If you’ve recorded a version of another artist’s song and you plan to distribute it online, you’ll need a mechanical license. For example if I recorded my own cover of blink 182s "what's my age again" and credit the original authors in the Metadata, do I need to buy a mechanical license to release it exclusively on Spotify Our experts will get you licensed and ready for your release! What is a Mechanical License? Performances in the UK are covered by a venue’s PRS license but cover songs will need their own license. There also needs to be a public release of the first recording. By properly licensing your recordings, you ensure that the proper publishers and songwriters are paid! Thanks for help. * *The mechanical license provided by Royalty Solutions only covers digital downloads. TIP: Master licenses can be a little trickier to obtain compared to Mechanical licenses. The LM licence has a capped limit of 250 units for PPL sound recordings. A mechanical license is required for selling songs online or in physical format. Get an International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) to distinguish your cover version from anybody else’s. 30 Music Industry Terms Every Musician Should Know, Open Mic Manchester – The Top 10 Best Nights Near Me, 9 Simple Tricks to Learn Song Lyrics With Ease, Registered in England & Wales | Future Productions Limited. The easiest way to look at mechanical royalties is to think about a … How do you get your cover songs out for the world to hear legally and make money from it too. However, it is safer to embed the YouTube video on Facebook rather than posting the video of the cover song on Facebook directly. Using a cover song in a live performance requires the least licencing procedure because a live performance is not technically a publication. This increase is reflected in the prices below. Mechanical Licenses for the sale and distribution of cover songs. Songfile is the quick and easy way to license cover songs for physical and digital formats such as CDs, downloads, ringtones and interactive streams. Important: derivative works, including works that contain samples, cannot be cleared through a compulsory … You’ll need a license for that. Instead, it is the responsibility of the venue to make sure that any necessary licences are in place. Mechanical rights or a mechanical license must be obtained in order to lawfully make and distribute records, CDs and tapes. Great site to get a mechanical license and find those hard to reach music producers to get clearance on popular cover songs. You can use the MCPS PRS database to look this up, or the Harry Fox Agency’s Songfile.This information will be required on some forms to get the correct licensing, and on materials you send to radio. In many cases, the copyright holder will choose to place adverts on the YouTube video and collect the associated revenue. Distributing recordings of cover songs on sound-only streaming platforms, like Spotify and iTunes will also require a mechanical licence. Royalty Solutions keeps track of your license to make sure everyone gets their fair share of every sale. It is the responsibility of the venue, where your performance will take place, to ensure that they have TheMusicLicence set up in advance; this is a single licence covering them for public performances of almost all copyright music. This should not be confused with using actual samples of copyrighted music in your videos. These two licences might be held by different people or organisations, even for the same song. These licences cover the communication to the public and associated mechanical rights (excluding synchronisation) of our members’ music through all digital services, including websites. Whether you are new to publishing or you’ve got decades of hits under your belt, HFA is here to help you with mechanical licensing and collecting the royalties you’re due. Easily obtain 100% of the rights you need to release any cover song in 1-2 business days. Therefore, posting cover songs on Facebook could cause your video to be removed and you may risk losing your Facebook page. Royalty Solutions is a partner that provides mechanical licenses for TuneCore distributed tracks through TuneLicensing.com. How to Start Producing Music at Home | Basics for Beginners. There are two cover song licensing services which let you apply for a license to record a cover song. In most audio-only cases (the production of CDs, vinyl etcetera) an AP1 or AP2 mechanical licence will be sufficient. Let us know in the comments below. However, YouTube has recently changed how they operate. In order to use these platforms, you agree to comply with their terms and conditions policy. To license a cover version, first find out the composers and publishers of your cover tune. YouTube will simply pay royalties to the publishers from the monies collected through ads displayed on your video. MECHANICAL LICENSE: The license to record and sell a cover song is called a mechanical license. I don’t make anything from it just enjoy sharing. Even if you don’t stand to profit from your release—you still need a mechanical license to release your cover song. Covers, cover songs or cover versions, are performances or recordings of an existing song by someone other than the original performing artist. Soundrop will distribute your cover songs to the world’s top platforms. The rights owner of a song has the right to control who makes the first record. Visit the following websites for more information: It costs nothing to cover a song when singing it live. As we do mostly covers of jazz standards I assume they’d be subject to some kind of licensing from publishers but they would be all our own performances so no mechanicals. Record, engineer, and master the recordings; Assignment using ISRC and UPC codes. Clear any cover song in 1-2 business days. A mechanical license for cover songs gives you the right to reproduce and distribute a copyrighted song on a permanent digital download.*. That means if you were to then sell 1,000 CDs with the cover song on it, it would cost you $91. Learn how it works > Licensing Questions. These policies directly forbid the violation of copyright law. Music copyright law is important for every singer and musician who want to know how to copyright a song. We use cookies to improve your experience on our website, assess how you use our website and for website security purposes. Cover Song Licensing Services What is a mechanical license? For future releases, we recommend you secure your mechanical licenses via Easy Song Licensing. Find the right mechanical license. I’m guessing that the answer is no – which is about as much as I know after trying to find out over the last few months. Videos that are uploaded directly appear to gain more exposure compared to videos embedded from other platforms. As the musician, you normally won’t need to acquire a licence before you do a live performance of a cover song. A mechanical is any song recording, including vinyl, CDs, or digital downloads. Another condition is that the license is for a recording only. Make sure you are set-up to receive performance royalties. Do I need a licence to perform cover songs in a competition? We will cover everything you need to know about music copyright in the UK, licensing and copyrighting a song and how the law affects singers, musicians and other creators. For example, selling CDs, as well as digital downloads. The copyright for a particular recording is held by the producer of that sound recording (probably a record label), whereas the rights to the underlying song will be in the hands of the songwriter, or their publisher. 7 Loss of Singing Voice Causes: Get Your Voice Back! How you intend to use another musician’s song will dictate whether or not you need a licence and, if you do, what type of licence you need to obtain before you can legitimately cover the song. The reason that is it called a Mechanical Licence is that it refers to physical copies of a song, such as a vinyl record and or a CD (DVDs and Video tapes). Facebook favours videos uploaded to their own platform. Split revenue with all your collaborators (at no cost) Distribute your cover song today. Since I technically needed a mechanical license for each of the songs I was recording, I decided to go through the whole process of obtaining the licenses. For example, if you are recording “Let it Be” by the Beatles, you are going to need to obtain a mechanical licensing agreement from Sony. On the Songfile website, they say the current cost for a mechanical license (e.g recording a cover song) is 9.1 cents per track. To date, Facebook does not have a way to compensate the copyright holder(s). Protect yourself from copyright claims on cover songs, without the hassle. A mechanical right is the right to record and distribute (without visual images) a song on a phonorecord for private use. You will have to pay a royalty to the publisher (which ultimately goes to the writer of the song you've covered) on … This applies to all songs published before 1922, as well as songs whose writer died more than seventy years ago (although, this rule only applies to music written since 1989). As a result, uploading cover songs to Facebook direct to their platform is not tolerated. We’ve gone into this in more detail in our article on covering songs at an open mic night and discuss this matter further down in this guide. Distribute as CD’s, vinyl records, and digital downloads; Register the remake cover song with a PRO so you can also receive royalties. You will need an additional license if you choose to physically distribute your cover song. You will have to pay a royalty to the publisher (which ultimately goes to the writer of the song you've covered) on the amount you manufacture, not the amount you sell. From 4 January 2011, UK VAT increases to 20%. For example, when your band plays "Smooth Criminal" (written by Michael Jackson). Get the licenses which let you record and release the original composition. And there’s a good reason why; some very large artists gained popularity and exposure by first publishing cover versions to get discovered. Copyright law protects the rights of the original artist, to ensure that they receive due recognition and payment for their creative property. All of this is awesome for music releases, but there are additional things to consider when releasing a song … Is it necessary to get licenses to release cover songs if I plan to only release them on Spotify? Do pay the Rights’s Owner or publisher mechanical license royalties in any case. You will need an additional license if you choose to physically distribute your cover song. If the song is not on the PRS for Music database, this does not mean that it isn’t covered by UK copyright law. Based on the length of each song and the number of units you plan to sell, songfile.com then computes a fee based upon the statutory mechanical royalty rate- the money collected for each sale of your cover version that goes directly to the song's writer and publisher (often … This is providing you have already declared the video as a YouTube cover song through the Content ID system. Nobody seems prepared to provide this information. Copyright is attributed to the original songwriter whenever a song is written or recorded, provided that there is tangible evidence. Find information about mechanical licencing here: PRS for Music: Retail Audio Products. Almost all copyright music in the UK will be registered with PRS for Music. Hi, thanks for this article. Clear any cover song in 1-2 business days. Clear cover songs now. The mechanical license only covers the audio portion of your YouTube cover. Not always. Share your music and earn revenue while meeting the legal requirements of covering a song. First steps – find the composer and publisher. Distribute your music beyond YouTube Music. Previously, this could cause your video to be taken-down and repeat offenders risked losing their account altogether. How to Improve Timing When Singing | How Do Singers Improve Their Timing? But without help, licensing cover songs can be a huge hassle—the terms are often confusing and time-consuming. The statutory rate does not apply, as the license fee would need to be negotiated with the copyright owner in all instances. You can read my article on Digital Music News about it here.Harry Fox Agency (HFA) as most of you know, has been doing this for years via their service Songfile. Clear cover songs now. Quick answer: You can, but there are some risks to posting cover songs on YouTube. Quick and Easy. Mechanical royalties are paid by whoever obtains a mechanical license to reproduce and distribute a piece of music, such as in album form or as ringtone, digital download, or interactive stream. Our partner—Easy Song Licensing—can help you get a mechanical license for your cover songs. Uploading video cover songs on Facebook (directly), without the necessary licences (both mechanical and synchronisation), is in breach of their terms and conditions. Request a mechanical license within minutes and you’ll be good to go in a matter of days. By requesting a mechanical license, you are ensuring that the original creator of the song is getting their fair share of the sales of the cover. The song’s copyright owner must give you a mechanical license if you pay a royalty fee based on estimated revenue from your cover song. Recreating an existing song in your own style can be great fun and a rewarding career move. 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Will also require a mechanical license for you to record a cover version, first find out the and... Uk will be registered with PRS for music Producing music at Home Basics... Performance of a song license by searching either CMRRA ’ s when record... Uploaded directly appear to gain more exposure compared to mechanical licenses via easy song licensing What! * the mechanical licence is required in order to lawfully make and distribute for sale or publish publicly websites.