What makes a song public domain?

In the United States, musical compositions published before January 1, 1931, are in the public domain, meaning no permission is needed to use the composition. However, even if the underlying composition is public domain, a specific recording of that song may still be protected by separate copyright held by the record label.

If you submit a cover song through our Cover Song Licensing portal and we determine it is public domain, you will receive an automatic refund of our service fee and any royalties paid. That is part of our Money Back Guarantee.