The short answer
A cover is a new recording of someone else's song. You own your recording, but the song still belongs to its writers. On most streaming services the service itself usually pays the writers under a blanket licence; for downloads and physical copies you usually need a mechanical licence, which a distributor's cover licensing service can obtain for you.
Two rights live inside every cover
Every recorded song carries two copyrights. The composition is the melody and lyrics, owned by the songwriters and their publishers. The sound recording, or master, is the performance captured in the studio, owned by whoever made it. A cover creates a new master that is yours, but the composition underneath does not change hands: part of what the cover earns must reach the writers, and you cannot alter the song without their permission.
What a mechanical licence is
A mechanical licence is the permission to reproduce a song in a recording and distribute copies, whether as a download, a CD or a stream. In the United States it is compulsory: once a song has been commercially released, anyone may record it provided they pay the statutory royalty and keep the melody and lyrics intact. Many other countries run similar systems through a national collecting society, though the details vary by country.
The licence does not cover everything. A translation, an arrangement that rewrites the melody, a medley, or a remix built from the original recording are usually derivative works, and those need direct permission from the publisher.
Where you actually need one
For streaming, the position has become simpler. Since 2021, interactive streaming services in the United States hold a blanket mechanical licence through The MLC, the Mechanical Licensing Collective, and pay the writers directly. In most other markets the service holds similar agreements with the local society. So when a distributor delivers your cover to streaming services, you usually do not need a licence of your own; you do need to label it as a cover and credit the writers.
Downloads, physical copies and sales from your own website are different. There the seller is usually responsible for the mechanical royalty, so a licence is still needed. Rules vary by country; ask before release rather than after.
- Streaming only: usually covered by the service
- Download stores: licence usually required
- CD, vinyl, cassette: licence usually required
- Changed lyrics, translation, new melody: publisher permission
What a distributor's cover licensing service does
A cover licensing service takes the work of finding and paying the right people off your desk. You supply the original title, artist and writers. The service identifies the publishers who control the song, obtains the licence for the formats and territories it covers, pays the mechanical royalties to those publishers out of your sales, and keeps the paperwork in case a store or publisher later asks for proof.
It will not fix a release that is not really a cover: changed words, a translation or a version built on the original recording will be declined until the publisher agrees. At Mazufa Records the distribution terms are simple: no upload fee, no subscription, no per-release fee; the revenue share is set out in your written agreement. Cover licensing is a separate step whose scope is shown before you order.
What happens on YouTube
YouTube holds its own agreements with music publishers, so a cover on your channel or delivered as an Art Track is usually permitted. The publisher's Content ID will often recognise the melody and claim the video. That claim is not a strike; it usually means the advertising income goes to or is shared with the publisher, and occasionally the publisher blocks the video in certain countries instead.
Your cover cannot be registered as a Content ID reference, because you do not control the song. You still earn from music-service streams and the Art Track. Expect claims, dispute them only when they are wrong, and never monetise a cover against the publisher's wishes.
Credits that keep a cover safe
Keep the song's original title, and never put the original artist's name in the title or artist field. List the original songwriters exactly as published, never yourself, and use your distributor's cover flag if it has one. Clean credits let stores, societies and publishers pay the right people.
Questions people ask
Can I release an Arabic version of an English song?
Usually not under a mechanical licence alone. A translation is a new lyric and counts as a derivative work, so you need written permission from the publisher that controls the song. Your distributor can help you find who that is; the decision is theirs.
Do I need a licence if my cover only goes to streaming?
Usually no, because streaming services pay writers under blanket licences, though this varies by country. You must still mark the release as a cover and credit the writers. Download stores and physical copies usually do require a licence.
Will my cover earn Content ID income on YouTube?
No. Covers are usually not eligible as Content ID references because the song belongs to its writers. You still earn from music-service streams and your Art Track, while composition claims on videos go to the publisher.