Reuse & Derivatives
Cover Songs
A cover is your own recording of someone else's song. US law lets you release an audio cover without permission; you just pay the songwriter a statutory mechanical royalty.
Where this sits
Cover Songs
- Distribution
- Broadcast
- Publishing
- Performance
Once a song has been released to the public, the §115 compulsory mechanical license lets anyone record and distribute their own audio version without asking permission. You pay the songwriter and publisher a government-set mechanical royalty on every copy and stream, and you own the new recording you made; the original artist's master isn't involved.
Good to know
Cover Songs: common questions
- Do I owe the original recording artist anything for a cover?
- No. You make your own recording, so the original master is never used. You owe the songwriter and publisher a mechanical royalty on the composition, collected in the US for streams and downloads via The MLC.
- What's the mechanical rate for a cover?
- For physical copies and permanent downloads it is the statutory rate set by the Copyright Royalty Board: 13.1¢ per copy (or 2.52¢ per minute, whichever is greater) in 2026, adjusted yearly. Interactive streams use the MMA blanket rate.
- Mechanical RoyaltiesRoyalties
- Sync RoyaltiesRoyalties
- InterpolationReuse & Derivatives
- Derivative WorksReuse & Derivatives
Cover SongsHover a connected term to see how it relates.
