How to upload cover songs to Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL and more
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.
Ever recorded your own version of a song you love and wondered whether you can actually release it on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and other streaming services?
The good news is: yes, you can.
At RouteNote, we make it easy to distribute cover songs to the world’s biggest music platforms. Whether you’ve turned a classic into an acoustic ballad, reimagined a pop hit in your own style, or simply want to share your take on a favourite track, we’ll help you get it out into the world.
Before you upload your cover song, there are a few important things to understand about licensing, metadata and store requirements. Don’t worry, though – it’s much simpler than many artists expect.
In this guide, we’ll explain:
- What counts as a cover song
- Where you can distribute cover songs
- How to upload cover songs with RouteNote
- Cover song metadata requirements
- How cover songs earn money on Spotify and YouTube
- Common mistakes to avoid
What counts as a cover song?
A cover song is a brand new recording of a song that was originally written or performed by someone else.
Maybe you’ve recorded a piano version of a rock anthem. Perhaps you’ve transformed a pop hit into a metal track. Or, maybe you’ve faithfully recreated a song that inspired you to start making music in the first place.
If you’re recording your own version of an existing composition, you’re creating a cover song.
Even if you perform an original song, but include a small amount of an existing song (say a riff, or one line of a melody), it will be considered as a cover.
The important thing is that you’re creating a completely new recording. You cannot use any part of the original audio recording without the appropriate permissions.
Do I need a mechanical licence?
Not always.
Many artists distribute cover songs through RouteNote without obtaining a mechanical licence, provided they’re only distributing to eligible stores and territories.
However, if you’d like your cover song to be available in additional stores and territories around the world, you’ll usually need a mechanical licence.
If you’re working with a record label, publisher or rights administrator, they may be able to arrange this on your behalf. If you’re releasing music independently, you’ll generally need to obtain the licence yourself.
In some cases, getting permission can be surprisingly straightforward. If you’re covering a song by a friend, independent artist or smaller songwriter, they may be able to provide written permission directly. Just make sure any agreement clearly states what material can be used, where it can be distributed, and that it’s provided by the rights holder.
For more commercially released music, particularly songs represented by publishers or major labels, you’ll usually need to obtain a mechanical licence through a licensing provider.
That’s why we recommend Affordable Song Licensing. They make it simple to secure the permissions needed to distribute cover songs more widely.
Once you’ve obtained a mechanical licence, you can upload it directly during the release creation process. Our moderation team will review it alongside your release, helping you get your music into more stores and territories worldwide.
Where can you distribute covers?
It all depends on whether you have obtained a mechanical license for the song you’re covering or not.
RouteNote can distribute cover songs to Spotify, Deezer, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Nuuday, Anghami, TIDAL, KKBOX and JioSaavn globally without requiring a mechanical licence.
That means you can get your cover songs onto some of the world’s biggest streaming platforms with no extra licensing steps.
If you’d like to distribute your cover song to additional stores, you’ll either need a mechanical licence or you’ll need to exclude certain territories from your release.
Without a mechanical licence, the following territories must be excluded:
- United States
- Canada
- Mexico
- India
- Pakistan
These exclusions can be managed within the Manage Stores section of your release.
Korean music services
If you’d like to distribute your cover song to Korean services such as Melon, Bugs!, Flo, Vibe or Genie, you’ll need written permission from the original artist.
If you have written permission available, contact moderation@routenote.com with your documentation, RouteNote username and release UPC.
How to upload a cover song with RouteNote
Getting your cover song online is easy.
Simply:
- Create a free RouteNote account.
- Start a new release.
- Let us know that your release contains a cover song.
- Select which tracks are covers.
- Upload your artwork and audio.
- Add your metadata.
- Upload a mechanical licence if you have one.
- Submit your release for moderation.
Our team will review everything before sending your music to your selected stores.
If you’ve obtained a mechanical licence, you can now upload it directly during the release creation process, making cover song distribution even easier.
Cover song metadata requirements
Cover songs have a few additional metadata requirements that help stores correctly identify the original composition.
Following these rules will help avoid delays during moderation.
Track titles
Your cover song should use the original song title.
For example:
✔ Smells Like Teen Spirit
✔ Shake It Off
✔ She Loves You
The following formats are not allowed:
✘ Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana Cover)
✘ Shake It Off (Taylor Swift Cover)
✘ Shake It Off (From 1989)
Stores generally don’t allow references to the original artist, album or film title within track names.
C line information
The C Line (Composition Copyright) should credit the original artist associated with the composition. This will be under Album Details when uploading your release through RouteNote.
For example, if you’re covering “Don’t Let Me Down”, your C Line should credit:
✔ The Beatles
Not:
✘ John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr
If your release contains multiple covers, separate each original artist with a comma. For example, The Beatles, Elton John, Madonna.
P line information
The P Line should contain the name of the artist performing the cover version.
In other words, that’s you.
Composer & lyricist information
Original composers and lyricists should be entered within the Composer and Lyricist fields of your release.
Artist roles
The original artist should not be added as a primary artist, featured artist or composer artist role.
Artwork rules for cover songs
When creating artwork for your cover release, make sure it represents your version of the song, not the original release.
Stores won’t allow:
- Images of the original artist
- References to the original artist
- Artwork that imitates or recreates the original release artwork
This applies even if the artwork is illustrated rather than photographic.
Audio requirements
Your cover must be your own recording.
That means:
✔ Newly recorded vocals
✔ Newly recorded instruments
✔ Original recordings created by you
The following are not allowed without the appropriate permissions:
✘ Samples from the original recording
✘ The original master recording
✘ Unlicensed backing tracks
✘ Unauthorised remixes
It’s also worth noting that some stores may reject “soundalike” recordings designed to closely imitate the original release.
Can you make money from cover songs?
Yes.
As long as your cover song has been distributed correctly and follows the relevant licensing requirements, it can earn sound recording royalties just like your original music.
Every stream, download and play can generate revenue while helping new listeners discover your music. For many artists, cover songs are also a great way to introduce fans to their original music catalogue.
Whether you’ve put your own spin on a timeless classic or reimagined a recent hit, cover songs can help you reach new audiences while building your presence across streaming platforms.
How do cover songs earn money on Spotify?
Spotify pays royalties based on the revenue it generates from subscriptions and advertising.
When listeners stream your cover song, your recording can generate royalties in the same way as any other release on the platform. Earnings vary depending on factors such as listener location, subscription type and total streams, but cover songs can absolutely become a valuable part of an artist’s catalogue.
What about YouTube and YouTube Music?
Cover songs can also earn money through YouTube Music and YouTube’s wider music ecosystem.
However, YouTube works a little differently to traditional streaming services. The platform uses Content ID systems that help copyright owners identify compositions and recordings across YouTube.
Depending on the rights involved, cover songs uploaded directly to YouTube may be subject to copyright claims or revenue-sharing arrangements. That’s why it’s important to make sure you’ve followed all relevant licensing and distribution requirements before uploading your cover songs.
Can you cover public domain songs?
At RouteNote we 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.
If you perform an original song, but include a small amount of an existing song (say a riff, or one line of a melody), it will be considered as a cover.
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 Spotify, Deezer, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Saavn, Nuuday, Anghami, Tidal, and KKBox pay for their own licenses for cover songs. This means that you can distribute your covers to these services worldwide.
It cannot use any samples from the original recording.
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’ (Composition Copyright) of the album details. This will be under Album Details when uploading your release through RouteNote.
Make sure that you credit the name of the performing artist and not the composers. For example, if you were to cover Don’t Let Me Down then you would need to list ‘The Beatles’ and not name ‘John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr’.
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.
Only mention the original artists in the ‘C Line’ section and Publishing Details. Do not list the artist anywhere else in your release, including artist fields, track fields, or in the cover art.
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
Public Domain
If a composition is in the public domain then you may not need a license to cover it.
Works remain under copyright for between 50 to 70 years – depending on the country – after the original composers death. After this period of time, works become public domain and their stores/territory restrictions will no longer apply.
Likewise if you wish to sample a sound recording that is in the public domain, you may be able to use the recording without acquiring a license.
Cover Song Distribution Q&A
What counts as a cover song? What music is in the public domain? Do I need a mechanical license? Where can I obtain a license? How do I format my metadata for distribution? You’ll need to know all of these answers before uploading your cover songs to RouteNote.
We’ll answer the most common questions related to distributing a cover song to streaming services and download stores around the world below. If you have a question we haven’t covered then leave a comment or get in touch with us at support@routenote.com where we will be happy to provide more information.
What counts as a cover?
A cover song is when an artist plays, records, or recreates the composition of another artist. For example: All Along the Watchtower is a song originally written and recorded by Bob Dylan. When Jimi Hendrix re-imagined it in his own style and recorded a new version of the track, he created a cover song.
A cover can be any song that uses any of the original songs compositional elements; chords, key, lyrics, etc.. The term includes:
- Original instrumental versions
- Parodies: Using an instrumental cover with your own lyrics
- A small portion of another composition’s musical elements or lyrics
- One cover song in an album of originals
Note that you cannot include recorded samples from the original song without permission from the rightsholder. To use a karaoke/instrumental backing track to record vocals or individual instrument parts on a cover, you would need to check the rights of the recording you’re using.
Where can I distribute my music without a license?
There are a number of stores and territories in which you will not need to acquire a mechanical license to distribute your cover songs commercially, as the licenses will be arranged by other parties.
Without spending cash on a mechanical license, you can distribute original cover songs to:
- All stores but excluding: USA, Canada, Mexico, Pakistan, and India
- All countries for the following services: Spotify, Deezer, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Saavn, Nuuday, Anghami, Tidal, and KKBox
To distribute to all stores and all territories you will need to obtain a mechanical license for the legal distribution rights.
Where can I obtain a mechanical license?
If you are not associated with someone (like a record label or publisher) who is in charge of arranging your musical copyrights, you will need to purchase a mechanical license for your cover song yourself.
In more simple circumstances, you may be able to arrange permission directly with the original rightsholder. For example, if you’re covering a song written by a friend or a smaller artist they may be able to offer their approval to you directly. Ensure any written permission includes the terms of how and where their material can be used, features a date of signature, and that it is provably from the rightsholder.
For example, you could ask for an email from the artist stating:
I give the artist ‘Your Name Here’ permission to distribute unlimited downloads and streams of their cover version of my original composition ‘Song Name. This permission extends to any digital service and in any territory.
In many cases, particularly if the original rightsholder is a popular artist and/or has a major label representing them, you will need to obtain and probably pay for a mechanical license. There are agencies you can go through to save the difficulty of trying to reach the artist/label/representative directly.
We’re proud to recommend Affordable Song Licensing for mechanical licenses.
You will need to provide an estimation of the copies you expect to sell and stream to select the correct pricing for your release. Bear in mind that if you exceed your listed units then you will need to arrange another license. You’ll be able to keep track of your sales and streams with in-depth reports when you distribute your music through RouteNote, thanks to our monthly reports.
The current standard royalty rate is $0.095 for a download of a track. This must be paid on top of a processing fee.
Unfortunately it’s not that simple for streams, as there is no fixed rate on the revenue earned by a stream. Mechanical Royalties from streaming are calculated as 11.4% to 15.1% of the gross streaming revenue of the company, minus the cost of public Performance Royalties. These rates are set by the Copyright Royalty Board and may have changed as you are reading this, as the recently launched Mechanical Licensing Collective is trying to return rates to pre-2018 times when the rate stood at 10.5%.
If you’re distributing through RouteNote, you can attach your license in an email to moderation@routenote.com so that we can approve your release and upload it to your chosen destinations.
You can upload your music for free through us at www.routenote.com to all of the top stores and streaming services.