In some specific cases licenses may be required in order to distribute a cover, as the original content may be copyrighted.
When do I need a license?
- If the song of the release is a cover of a song edited in a Latin region or Spanish-speaking countries (including western and south of Europe, South America and Central America, except from Mexico) no licenses are required. The only necessary condition is to introduce the name of the composers of the original song in the "Composer" role of the cover.
- If the song of the release is a cover of a song edited in Anglo-American territory or by a Major (such as "Universal Music Latino" or "Sony Music Latino") licenses will be required. This license can be a signed document given by the original song rights' holder, or a document arranged by a rights management company displaying that the commercial use of this content is allowed
You can obtain these licenses through several digital services, like Easy Song Licensing.
What type of mechanical license is required to distribute to the channels?
There are different kinds of licenses available. To distribute a cover to the digital platforms the licenses adquired must include permission for:
- Digital Downloads
You can find more information about covers license management here.
How can I identify the original rights' holder?
Nowadays it's quite easy to find out the original rights' holder of a song. There are diferent entities in each country that may help you to identify the owners of the publishing rights. In USA you can address Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) and/or ASCAP, which can provide you with the data required. Once you have the information, you can ask for the mechanical license.
- If the covered song belongs to a country that is not specified in the entry, please contact our Support team (support@lacupulamusic.com) for more information.
If the cover presents great modifications in comparison to the original song, either altering the musical or the lyrical content, the documentation provided must be more detailed and state that these changes are legimised by the original owner.
Take into account that a Remix and a Cover are not the same. So, if the song distributed is a remix or is using third parties' content (masters from an other song), the license must be endorsed by the original owner of the master.
For more information, please read carefully the Content Style Guide.
Notice: The QC Team reserves the right to TAKE OFF FROM DISTRIBUTION the Youtube Content ID channel for the following types of content: Covers, Remixes, Parodies, Karaoke, Public Domain works or songs with samples.
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