How to Legally Post Cover Songs on Spotify?

October 4, 2022

There’s nothing better than jamming out to new versions of your favorite tunes. For up-and-coming artists, they’re a great way to get new listeners to stumble across your music. But you may be nervous about uploading covers for fear of being sued – no one wants that to happen! So, how do you legally post cover songs on Spotify?

The good news is that legally uploading cover songs is usually a straightforward process. You will have to obtain a license since you are using the creative work of another person or group. Don’t let that intimidate you because there are third-party distributors that can do all the heavy lifting for you! Websites like Distrokid, Soundrop, and TuneCore offer affordable services that make uploading your cover songs a walk in the park. Of course, you can go about obtaining licenses privately, but that often takes a bit more work.

Don’t let the intimidation of fees and copyright infringements stand in the way of uploading cover songs to Spotify! The pros do it, and so should you.

Do I need a license to cover a song?

If you want to cover a song and upload it to Spotify and other platforms, you’re going to need a license. When artists release songs or albums, their work is almost always copyrighted. That means you have to obtain a compulsory mechanical license in order to release your cover and make money from it, especially if you are going to make the music available in all territories, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, India and Pakistan.

The license is a way to protect copyright holders and ensure they get a cut of any profits made from their work. A synchronization license is required if you also want to use the song with moving images on a screen – who would have known? For this, you generally have to contact the copyright holders of the music.

A common misconception in the music world is that you need permission from the original creator to cover a song. This is actually not true. Any musical creation that has been published is fair game. However, the mechanical license is the golden ticket that gives you the chance to monetize your cover.

Putting your covers onto Spotify, iTunes, and Apple Music can be a confusing process. Luckily there are digital music aggregators that can distribute your music for you. These digital music distributors (aka aggregators) will spread your music across various streaming platforms, help you obtain licensing, keep tabs on earnings, and ensure your music’s metadata is in order. They are great resources that make the entire music distribution process a piece of cake. So which distributors should you use?

Some of the most popular digital music aggregators are Distrokid, Soundrop, and TuneCore. These companies have been assisting musicians for years and provide top-notch services. Let’s go over the details, abilities, and prices of each one.

Distrokid

For years, Distrokid has been one of the most relied upon distributors for musicians, and for good reasons! When you use their service, they’ll upload your music virtually everywhere (Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Instagram/Facebook, YouTube Music, Amazon, and more). For $20 a year (higher plans are available for 2 artists and above), you can upload unlimited songs to be distributed – that’s not bad! Using Distrokid is extremely straightforward, and its interface was designed to be user-friendly. Once you sign up, just head over to the upload form and begin uploading.

DistroKid charges $12 per year to manage each cover song for you – that includes obtaining the required mechanical license. They will then automatically deduct the legally-mandated fee from your earnings to pay it to the original songwriter. It’s hands down one of the best services there is.

Soundrop

Soundrop is another top-quality service to help you distribute your music and obtain licenses for your covers. Unlike other programs, Soundrop is not a subscription-based service. Instead, the company charges a one-time fee of $0.99 (previously $9.99) per cover song that will include licensing. Similar with DistroKid, they do not accept outside license. You need to get new license through them even if you already obtained it through another service. In terms of cut, they take 15% of your music earnings. That means if you make $100, Soundrop takes $15.

When you use the service, you will also have the option to release to big and small streaming services and stores (Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon, and more). Using the program is as easy as uploading your song, choosing where you want it distributed, and getting accepted. For musicians, it’s a highly recommended service.

TuneCore

TuneCore advertises that it can distribute your music to over 150 platforms, including Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, iTunes, and TikTok. The program offers a free plan that allows you to upload an unlimited number of songs to social platforms – a great way to get a feel for the program. For those who want more features, they have yearly subscription plans at $14.99, $29.99, and $49.99. One of TuneCore’s most unique features is its TuneCore Publishing. TuneCore will help you track down royalties when your song is being played without you knowing it. If you’re interested in uploading cover songs, the program has an easy-to-use licensing process for either $15 (limited) or $59 standard. TuneCore is a great option!

Do you get paid for Spotify streams on your cover songs?

Believe it or not, you do get paid for Spotify streams on your cover songs. Great news, right? However, the original songwriter will get a cut of the revenue, which usually comes out to 4% to 6% of all the earned profits. It’s a great deal since cover songs are an excellent way to attract new listeners to your music. If you use a digital music aggregator–highly recommended–the program should take care of the licensing and paying out the rightsholders so that you don’t have to worry about anything.

On Spotify, cover songs get millions and millions of streams, and artists are making serious money from them. If the song is played for at least 30 seconds, Spotify counts it as a stream. But how much are they earning? The revenue numbers can differ between artists; however, in general, you can expect to make $3,000 to $8,000 for every million streams. That’s a good chunk of change! Remember that you’ll need to deduct a certain percentage for cover songs to get the exact total of your earnings.

Are cover songs covered by Fair Use?

It’s important to note that cover songs are not covered by Fair Use. That is why it is crucial to obtain a compulsory license when uploading a cover to streaming platforms with the hopes of making a profit. The Fair Use Doctrine permits creators to use copyrighted material without receiving any license or permission. Most content that falls under Fair Use are things like news reporting, research, and commentary. Songs and videos attempting to monetize other people’s material will not be protected and can be brought to court.

Since a cover song is not original material, and services like Spotify and Amazon Music generate profit from streams, it’s not considered Fair Use. However, if you upload a cover onto YouTube, there’s a good chance the video will be allowed to stay on the site. Any revenue earned would go to the original creator of the song. YouTube is able to do this because it has licenses with most music publishers. Keep in mind that it’s always possible that the platform’s terms of service regarding cover songs can change in the future.

Final Thoughts

Cover songs are a great way to share remakes of your favorite songs and the current top hits. No one wants to get into a legal battle over copyright infringements, so you need to make sure you take the appropriate steps to legally post cover songs on Spotify and other platforms. Today, it’s never been easier to use a digital music aggregator that can help you obtain the needed license and distribute your music around the world. As people start streaming your covers, watch the legal money start to roll in!

In addition to cover songs, adding other people’s music into your videos also requires certain permission. Viberary.com is one of the best ways to use free (really) and claim-free background music – either for personal or commercial use. And there’s no sign-up process. So, go scroll through its excellent library of music!