You can legally release cover songs through DistroKid, but only when the recording meets the requirements of a cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The distinction matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you record every instrument and vocal yourself, you’re creating a new recording of someone else’s composition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s a cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you use the original artist’s master recording, stems or samples, you’ve moved into a different rights situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A normal cover licence isn’t enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DistroKid makes this distinction clearly in its guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DistroKid’s current cover-song licensing service costs $12 per track per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The service handles the administrative process and required songwriter payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Certain compositions or uses don’t qualify through standard compulsory cover licensing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DistroKid specifically gives examples including medleys, mashups and some works that were never separately released in the required way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A song has at least two major copyright layers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the composition<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cover licensing deals with your use of the composition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It doesn’t give you permission to use somebody else’s recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For occasional cover releases, the convenience is attractive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a large cover catalogue, the recurring $12 annual fee per recording can become substantial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s when artists should compare alternative licensing structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The right distributor depends not just on how many songs you release, but what kind of songs you’re releasing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You can legally release cover songs through DistroKid, but only when the recording meets the requirements of a cover. The distinction matters. A cover isn’t a remix If you record every instrument and vocal yourself, you’re creating a new recording of someone else’s composition. That’s a cover. If you use the original artist’s master recording, stems or samples, you’ve moved into a different rights situation. A normal cover licence isn’t enough. DistroKid makes this distinction clearly in its guidance. What does DistroKid charge? DistroKid’s current cover-song licensing service costs $12 per track per year. The service handles the administrative process…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3088,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[93,1291,2024,1378],"coauthors":[2],"class_list":["post-3864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-cover","tag-cover-song","tag-covers","tag-distrokid"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n