Can I upload cover songs to Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, TIDAL, Deezer, etc.
We offer free distribution of your music to all of the world’s top stores and streaming services, and we can send your cover songs of other artists too.
We at RouteNote make it simple and free to get your music online on all the top digital stores and streaming services so people all around the world can find and hear your music. We don’t just do original music though, you can upload your covers of your favourite tracks as well.
Before you do though there’s a few things you need to be aware of to make sure that we can put up your cover songs on the world’s biggest services and you can get paid legally for every play and download.
Licenses
For releasing cover songs online you don’t need a license and can just upload it and release it. EXCEPT in a few certain territories:
- The United States
- Canada
- Mexico
- Pakistan
- India
You will need to exclude these territories to distribute your release to the rest of the world unless you have acquired a mechanical license to release a cover of the song(s) you have recorded.
However both Spotify and Deezer pay for their own licenses for cover songs. This means that you can distribute your covers to both of these services worldwide.
it cannot use any samples from the original recording, and cannot alter the melody, lyrics or original composition
You can acquire licenses from the Harry Fox Agency (HFA) or Loudr for distribution in these territories on all services.
Formatting
When you upload your release you will need to format it slightly differently for a cover release to ensure that the original artist is credited correctly.
You must credit the original artist in the ‘C Line’ of the album details. Only credit the artist here and nowhere else in the release.
If you have multiple covers in your release then list each artist in the ‘C Line’ one after the other, separated by commas. For example: The Beatles, Elton John, Madonna, etc.
As an extra note we unfortunately cannot distribute Prince covers.
Samples and Backing Tracks
As with all releases you cannot use any samples or backing tracks unless they are original or you have the licenses/permissions required to use it.
This means that you can’t include any samples from the original track or any other songs without the correct documented permissions or mechanical licenses
You can upload your music for free through us at www.routenote.com to all of the top stores and streaming services.
19 comments
Does this mean that for a cover of “Cheek to Cheek” one should use Fred Astaire instead of Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra etc…? The writer Irving Berlin remains invisible, I presume?
What if you want to upload a cover (although we called it a remix, but there’s no stems from the original recordings) so that people can stream for free? We aren’t uploading to iTunes or any service that requires the listener to pay to downloadthe track. We already offer them as free downloads on Bandcamp.
So, would it cause trouble to just upload said covers to streaming services only (not download services) so that people listen for free, and without us getting any revenue for it?
Hi, your music automatically earns money when it is on streaming stores. There’s no way to make it un-monetised when it’s on a streaming service. You will be able to upload it with no issues assuming the cover doesn’t feature copyright content as you say it doesn’t however there are some rules as to how we can release covers – for more information on this get in touch at support@routenote.com or on social media.
Does this mean I can upload covers to Spotify without having to worry about buying a license
Hi Sashad, yes that’s true as Spotify pay for the licenses themselves.
When I upload a cover to Spotify: 1) Do I have to identify the original song and copyright owner, and if so, how? 2) Do I receive money for each play, and if so, how much? 3) Does the original copyright owner receive payment also? 4) How does all the above work with Itunes, if I want to sell downloads as well as stream?
Hi Pete, you will need to credit the original artist in the ‘C Line’ of your release. You will receive earnings for your streams the same as you would if you uploaded your own original music. The copyright owner will receive payment for streams but they won’t come out of your earnings.
You will need to purchase your own mechanical license or exclude certain territories for iTunes as they don’t pay for their own licenses globally. The stores that do take covers without a license are: Spotify, Deezer, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Anghami, Juke & JioSaavn.
Hi, may I clarify, to upload cover songs without a mechanical license:
– I can select all stores, then use the “Territories” section to exclude US/Canada/Mexico/Pakistan/India for all stores except Spotify, Deezer, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Anghami, & Saavn?
Hi Sam, yes that is correct!
Can i still earn through spotify by uploading covers?
Hello, yes you sure can. There are some specific rules for uploading covers that you should know, so head here to find out more: https://routenote.com/blog/can-i-upload-cover-songs-to-spotify-apple-music-itunes-tidal-deezer-etc/
Could I upload cover songs on YouTube without a mechanical license? Does YouTube’s agreement with Warner Chappell, Sony and Universal include song covers?
Hi Darius, yes you can but you may not be able to monetise your cover song if it isn’t covered by any licenses.
Hi, am I allowed to upload a cover to Spotify if I used GarageBand’s software instruments to write the tracks? I made a string cover on Spotify by writing out the score as MIDI files but I’m not sure if those count as “samples”.
As long as you don’t use any copyrighted samples then yes you can upload cover songs.
So, if I only choose Spotify and Deezer as my platforms for release of a cover, I am allowed to include all territories, right?
Hi,
up in the post it says “it cannot use any samples from the original recording, and cannot alter the melody, lyrics or original composition”.
I recorded a Kylie Minogue cover; no samples or phrases from the orginal are used, lyrics and harmonies are the same. But the mood is changed completely, and (of course the vocal melody is different (no chance for me to sing like Kylie does). Would this still be a legal cover to be uploaded on Spotify or Deezer?
And:
would I have to take the extra route through HFA for posting at Tidal or soundcloud etc.?
Hi Lothar, yes this would be a legal cover to release so all of the details mentioned above will apply. If you have re-created the elements of any copyrighted song, be it melody, chords, or the lyrics, then the cover song rules will be applicable.
thank for being so quick to reply!
Now that the “will this be regarded as a cover” question is settled: if I say to start out on Spotify and Deezer, relying on the fact that I don’t need a mechanical license here. Then later on decide to also upload my cover songs to maybe Tidal, Google and soundcloud: I assume that I would then have to head over to someone like HFA to get a mechanical license, correct? What would be the steps in regards to your service?