Can I Release a Cover Song?

Yes. In most cases, when you mark a track as a cover, we license the song for you as part of your release, so you don't have to arrange the license yourself. If your version needs special permission, we can do the licensing work for you.

How do I mark a track as a cover?

1. On the track, answer Who wrote the song on this track? with Cover.
2. Tell us the song's title. The original artist and songwriter help us find the right song, so add them if you know them.
3. Answer Did you change any lyrics? and Did you change the melody?
4. Under Cover song license, leave I need a license for this release selected. We add the license at checkout.

We add the writing credits for you, and you add the Performance and Production credits. See How Do Credits Work for Distribution?

What does the license cover?

A cover song license (also called a mechanical license: permission to record and sell someone else's song) lets stores sell your cover as a download in the United States. The songwriters' royalty on each download is set by U.S. law and comes out of your download earnings.

On streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, the services pay the songwriters themselves through The MLC (the Mechanical Licensing Collective), so you don't license those streams. See Do I need a license for streaming only (Spotify, Apple Music)?

Important: this license covers downloads sold through Easy Song Distribution. For CDs, vinyl, or downloads sold on other sites, you need a separate Cover Song License for each release.

What if I already have a license?

If you already licensed the song with Easy Song for this release (the same title and artist), choose I already have a license.

When do I need more than a cover song license?

A cover song license works when you record the song as it was written. You need permission from the song's owners if:

• you changed the lyrics or the melody, including translating the words into another language,
• you combined more than one song in a track (a medley or mashup),
• you copied audio from someone else's recording (sampling), or
• the song has never been released commercially.

For these, the track asks How will you get permission? You can choose Ask Easy Song for help, connect a Custom Licensing project you already have, or upload a license you got somewhere else (PDF, JPG or PNG, up to 20 MB). The track waits until permission is in place.

Important: we can't release a cover with AI vocals that imitate the original artist's voice.

What about public domain songs?

A song in the public domain (no longer protected by copyright) doesn't need a license, and the track shows No license needed. Not sure? See What is Public Domain?

Not sure whether your version counts as a cover? Contact us before you check out and we will help you figure it out.