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Requirements for distributing a cover song

Updated over 5 months ago

The following conditions must be met:

  • The cover version is a “faithful rendition” of the original song, meaning no changes in the melody or lyrics were made (minimal arrangement changes are allowed).

    • Therefore, further note that translating the lyrics of a song into another language means that your version will no longer be a cover; it will instead be what is called a "derivative work" for which obtaining a proper license is significantly harder (see "What licenses are required?" in the remix section further below).

  • The cover version does not include any part of the original song's recording.

  • The original song was already distributed or offered to the public by the original artist or any record label.

  • The original authors of the composition and lyrics and the publisher of the original song are correctly listed and credited in the cover song metadata. You can find the correct information on websites like the Easysong search engine.

If you distribute your cover song to download DSPs, you will need to obtain a different license for each of the following countries (we also indicate websites where such licenses can be obtained):

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