How do I License a Medley?

What is a Medley?

A medley is a derivative work combining a collection of various songs, or musical compositions, typically played one after the other in an A-B-C structure.

What Kind of License Do I Need?

If you're thinking about licensing a medley of songs to release, you will need to obtain direct permission from all rightsholders involved. You can do this yourself by locating contact information for all composers and publishers involved and sending out requests one-by-one, or you can use our Custom Licensing services to have an agent carry out negotiations and finalize the agreements on your behalf.

Recent Licensing Changes Affecting Medleys:

At the beginning of 2021, the Music Modernization Act (MMA) went into effect, and it brought changes to how royalties are paid on streaming services. Until this point, many publishers were satisfied receiving  the full statutory mechanical royalty rate for each song used. However now, publishers are required to perform more work registering every medley as a new work in order to properly collect on royalties. This prompted many major publishers to increase their requirements and fees to approve medleys in recent years.