How to Release a Cover Song Legally

A cover song looks simple: you record your own version of a song you love. In rights terms it is a place where independent releases can easily go wrong, because a new recording of somebody else's song needs permission for the song even though the recording itself is yours. The question is not whether you may release a cover. It is which permission you need, from whom, and for which uses.

This guide explains how a cover differs from a sample and a remix, the licensing routes in the UK and the US as the official sources describe them, what changes if you alter the song, how video differs from audio, how Content ID treats a cover and how to fill in the WBBT Release Wizard for one. It ends with a documents checklist and a message you can send support. It is practical guidance, not legal advice.

Cover, sample, remix: which are you releasing?

What you made	What it uses	Permission you need
A cover	Your new recording of another writer's song	The song side: the writers or their publisher. Not the original master.
A cover with new lyrics, a translation or a changed melody	An adaptation of the song	The song side, with approval of the changes.
A sample	A piece of the original recording	The owner of that recording and the owner of the song in it.
A remix	The original recording, rebuilt	Both again, and the changes may need approval.

The US Copyright Office puts the line clearly in Circular 73, its overview of the statutory licence for recordings of songs: that licence covers the song and not the sound recording, and the two are separate works that generally have to be licensed from their own owners. A cover that re-records the song without using the original audio sits on the song side only. As soon as you lift a bar of the original recording, you are sampling, and WBBT's FAQ is explicit that a short sample is not automatically exempt.

Who gives permission for the song

The owner of a song is usually its writers, often through a publisher. The US Copyright Office's note What Musicians Should Know about Copyright says you generally need one of three things to use someone else's work: the work is in the public domain, you have the owner's permission or a licence, or a statutory exception applies. It also says that trying and failing to reach a rightsholder is not a substitute for permission, and that for cover recordings you should check every intended use against the rights of the other work before you record.

The practical route differs by territory.

The United States. Circular 73 describes a statutory (compulsory) licence for non-dramatic musical works that have already been distributed to the public in the US with the owner's authority. You can still negotiate directly with the owner, and the licence is there if the owner is unwilling or cannot be found. It lets you make a musical arrangement to the extent needed to fit your own style, but not change the basic melody or fundamental character of the work, and it does not cover the sound recording. The circular was last revised in January 2018, before the Music Modernization Act. For digital services, the Copyright Office's Music Modernization Act page says the new blanket licence is held by digital music providers, covers permanent downloads, limited downloads and interactive streams, and is administered by The MLC. That licence belongs to the service and not to you, but it is a reason to ask your distributor how a cover is handled before you assume anything either way.

The Harry Fox Agency's Songfile service is the self-service option for small runs. HFA's help page How do I use Songfile? describes limited-quantity licences for fewer than 2,500 copies of a recording, and streaming licences that are valid only on personal websites. It says they do not extend to services such as Spotify or Apple Music, and tells you to ask the service or your distributor about the appropriate licence there. If a work is not available through Songfile, you need to approach the publisher directly.

The United Kingdom. The Music Copyright Explained guide, which the UK Intellectual Property Office commissioned, lists reproduction, adaptation, performance and communication among the things copyright controls. PRS for Music describes how two bodies share the work on its page about PRS and MCPS: PRS licenses performances and MCPS licenses copies and reproductions. Whether a given publisher has handed the licensing of copies to MCPS depends on the publisher and on the mandate, so the first step is to identify the writers and the publisher from the original release and ask who licenses the use you plan.

Elsewhere. Rules and societies differ. Ask the publisher or the local society, and ask your distributor what it needs.

What WBBT asks, and what it does not do

WBBT's public FAQ says that a new recording of someone else's song can require composition licensing, depending on territory and use, that a cover does not permit sampling the original master, that video use can require separate synchronisation permission, and that you should confirm the licences before uploading. In the Release Wizard you answer for each track whether it is an Original Composition or a Cover Song. The answer is reviewed.

The WBBT site does not describe a service that issues cover licences for you, so the safest reading is that the permission is yours to obtain and to keep. The Legal Documents box in the wizard accepts contracts or rights proof as PDF, JPG or PNG files. It is mandatory only for tracks that contain samples or declare AI use, but it is the natural place to attach a licence you hold for a cover. If you are unsure what your territory needs, write to support before you submit, using the message at the end of this guide.

If you change the song

Translating the lyrics, writing new ones or altering the melody adapts the song, and adaptation is among the things copyright controls, as the Music Copyright Explained guide lists. The US statutory licence does not stretch to a change in basic melody or fundamental character, so a heavily reworked version needs the owner's approval. Publishers decide such requests case by case, and some refuse changes to lyrics. Ask for the approval in writing, and keep it with the licence.

Songs in the public domain

A song whose protection has ended can be covered without asking. In the UK, GOV.UK's page on how long copyright lasts gives 70 years after the author's death as the usual term for a musical composition, and tells readers to ask the IPO about older works. Other countries use other terms, so check the territory you are releasing in. Remember that the song and a recording of it are different things. Only the song is free. A modern arrangement or translation can be protected, and so can anyone else's recording of the song, so make your own arrangement and your own recording.

Video is a separate permission

A licence for an audio release does not cover pictures. Putting your cover into a video can need a synchronisation permission of its own, which the FAQ and the guide to sync licensing explain. On YouTube, music publishers claim cover videos through Content ID. YouTube's page Monetizing eligible cover videos says creators in the YouTube Partner Programme can share revenue from eligible covers once a publisher has claimed them. A claim is not a copyright strike, as YouTube's page Learn about copyright claims sets out, but do not dispute a claim you cannot support.

Content ID and your own cover recording

A cover is a new performance, so it does not contain the original master and is not automatically a match to it. WBBT's Content ID service says the same. The reverse question is whether you should register your cover recording. WBBT lists a cover recording, where the composition rights need review, among the cases a Content ID request can be refused, so expect a rights review. Get the permission first, tick Content ID only if the plan includes it and the song side is clear, and read the Content ID guide for the rest.

Filling in the Release Wizard for a cover

• Composition: choose Cover Song for the track. Do not mark it Original Composition.
• Credits: enter the original writers as Composers, each with a full first and last name, and the people who performed and produced your version as Performer and Producer. The wizard requires a Producer, a Composer and a Performer on every track.
• Title and artist: use the song's real title and your own artist name. Keep to WBBT's rules on versions, and do not add popular names or search keywords to your credits. Release Metadata and Artwork Requirements covers the title rules.
• Artwork: make your own. Do not reuse the original cover, a label logo or anything that suggests the original artist released your version.
• Territories: select only the territories your permission covers.
• Identifiers: a new recording gets a new ISRC, which WBBT generates unless you already hold one for this recording. ISRC and UPC codes explained shows when a code changes.
• Copyright lines: the sound recording line names the owner of your new recording. Never present the song itself as yours.

Documents to collect

1. The song's title, its writers' legal names and its publisher or publishers, taken from the original release or from the society databases.
2. The licence or written permission, naming your recording, the formats, the territories, the term and the fee.
3. If you use a statutory route, a record of the notices and statements it requires.
4. Written approval of any change to the lyrics, the language or the melody.
5. Your own paperwork: who performed and produced, and any session agreements.
6. Receipts for any fees you paid.

If you cannot get permission

Do not release it and wait to see what happens. Stores can take a release down, and a rights problem can come back to your account. Choose a different song, write or commission an original, use a public-domain song with your own arrangement, or ask the publisher whether a different licence route fits. A cover does not have to be a cover of a famous song. A clearly licensed lesser-known song is a better release than an unlicensed hit.

Seven steps to a cleared cover

1. Identify the writers and publisher from the original credits.
2. Decide where and in what format you will release, because the licence route depends on both.
3. Obtain permission for the song, by licence, statutory route or written agreement.
4. Do not use any part of the original recording. Record your own version from scratch.
5. Get approval for any change to the lyrics, language or melody.
6. Complete the wizard to match the paper: Cover Song, the original writers as Composers, the right territories, the licence uploaded.
7. Ask about video separately before you put the cover into one.

A message to send support

If you want WBBT to confirm what it needs, send this before you submit, with your licence attached.

Hello, I plan to release a cover of [song title] by [writers], first released by [artist]. My recording is new and does not contain the original recording. I hold [licence or permission] from [publisher or collective], dated [date], covering [formats and territories]. A copy is attached. The lyrics [are unchanged, or were changed with the publisher's written approval]. Please tell me whether anything else is needed for my territory and release before I submit.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need permission to release a cover song on Spotify or Apple Music?

For the song, usually yes. A new recording of somebody else's song can need composition licensing, and the route depends on the territory and the use. Your own new recording does not need the original master, but it does not remove the song-side permission either.

Does WBBT issue the cover licence for me?

Nothing on the WBBT site describes WBBT issuing cover licences on your behalf, so plan to arrange the song-side permission yourself, or ask support what it needs to see for your territory and release before you submit.

Can I translate the lyrics or change the melody?

Only with the approval of the owner of the song. Translating, rewriting lyrics or altering the melody adapts the song, which copyright controls. A statutory licence in the US does not allow a change to the basic melody or fundamental character of the work.

Will the original label claim my cover on YouTube?

A cover has its own audio, so it should not match the original master. The publisher of the song is the party that usually claims cover videos, and YouTube says eligible cover videos can share ad revenue with creators in its Partner Programme.

Is a song in the public domain free to cover?

The song itself, yes, once its protection has ended in the territory you care about. A modern arrangement or translation can still be protected, and so can any recording of it, so use only the underlying song and make your own arrangement.

Sources and next steps

We opened each of these sources on 25 October 2026. Laws and licence terms change, so check the current wording before you rely on a point.

• Circular 73: Compulsory License for Making and Distributing Phonorecords, US Copyright Office, revised January 2018 (accessed 25 October 2026).
• Music Modernization Act, US Copyright Office (accessed 25 October 2026).
• What Musicians Should Know about Copyright, US Copyright Office (accessed 25 October 2026).
• How do I use Songfile?, Harry Fox Agency help centre (accessed 25 October 2026).
• PRS and MCPS, PRS for Music (accessed 25 October 2026).
• Music Copyright Explained, commissioned by the UK Intellectual Property Office (accessed 25 October 2026).
• How long copyright lasts, GOV.UK (accessed 25 October 2026).
• Monetizing eligible cover videos and Learn about copyright claims, YouTube Help (accessed 25 October 2026).

The hub for this topic is Music Rights Checklist Before You Release. If your track sits on someone else's instrumental, read Releasing a Song Made on a Leased Beat as well. The FAQ has a section on rights and Content ID, and the pricing page shows which plans include Content ID. When the permission is in place, submit your release.