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How do I license a cover song?

Licensing a cover song can be confusing. The goal of this info page is to help you understand how to battle the dreadful, "wtf, licensing?"

I show you the three ways to license and sell cover songs, ranging from doing it yourself to using an online licensing platform.

Enjoy!

bootstrap it / do it yourself (diffiuculty: hard)

  • File a request with the publisher via "Notice of Intent" via section 115 of the copyright office act.
    • The original song must have been released as a digital or physical phonorecord in the United States.
    • You only need to file with one publisher via usps certified mail.
  • Maintain monthly royalty reporting to the publisher.

Pros

  • Cost-effective. Pay for envelopes, mail, and checks.
  • Mad props for becoming a do-it-yourself licensing geek!

Cons

  • Time intenstive. Monthly reporting must be accurate. Researching publisher contacts for compositions is time consuming.
  • Math. The royalty per copy is 9.1 cents per physical/digital (read: mechanical) copy.

buy upfront via a licensing service (difficulty: medium)

Use a service like Loudr Licensing to buy licenses up-front from a publisher. These services usually charge a $15 service fee to buy a licenses.

Other alternatives include Songfile.

Pros

  • Bulk licensing discounts exist. Loudr offers up to a $10 per license discount.
  • Easier accounting. Only keep track of copies sold, and account against quantity of licenses you pre-paid for.
  • Copies are cheap.

Cons

  • Service fees stack up. Not good for starting artists who aren't sure if they'll sell copies.
  • Renewal fees are often discounted when your copies expire, but they still exist.

use a Licensing + Distro all-in-one platform (difficult: easy)

Loudr offers cover song licensing and digital distribution combined into a single platform with no upfront fees.

Pros

  • No up-front fees, or licensing costs.
  • No time required for licensing research, team does research on your behalf.
  • Direct Store with pay-what-you-want style pricing high quality streaming includes free licensing cost.
  • Distribution, ISRC, and UPCs are all included and managed for free. Songs appear on iTunes, Spotify
  • Automatic payment to publishers. Because Loudr fulfills and administrates your licenses, we pay the publishers from the money you make.

Cons

  • Service fee for ongoing licensing includes a % of sales, in addition to the compulsory flat rate (9.1 cents) per copy.

authors

created by @soundofjw (github:soundofjw)[https://github.com/soundofjw].

inspired by http://copyright.wtf @germanseabass (github:seabass)[https://github.com/seabass].