What Cover Song exceptions should I watch out for?

We can license almost any song. It's rare that we are unable to license a song. Meant to foster creativity, the Compulsory Mechanical Licensing Law makes it possible for you to legally record your new version of any existing song, even without the copyright holder's express permission. If you ask a publisher directly, they can set any price or reject your request altogether. But under Compulsory Law, they cannot reject the license. Even in cases where the copyright holder is highly protective of their work, this law allows small-timers to cover some very popular songs.

There are some exceptions and limitations, however. Easy Song will not be able to help you get a compulsory mechanical license if:

- you change the lyrics of the song,

- you change the fundamental melody of the song (general rearrangement is allowed however),

- you request a song that has never been released,

- you need to license retroactively (a previous release of yours),

- you release your recording of the song for any purpose other than personal private listening by the end user, or

- you request a song with a copyright holder based outside of, and not represented in the United States.

If any of the above scenarios apply to you, please check out our Custom Licensing services.