What is a cover?
A cover is when you re-record a song from another artist using your own instrumental and vocals.
What to consider when distributing with Amuse
You can release a cover on streaming platforms without a license. You’ll need, however, a mechanical license to release it on download stores in the US, Mexico, India, and/or Pakistan. The download stores we have at Amuse are Apple Music and Amazon.
Additionally, when uploading a cover there are certain requirements that must be met:
The original lyrics, composition, and arrangement can’t be modified by copyright law (e.g. it is not allowed to translate the lyrics to another language, this would be considered derivative work).
The cover should always be your own recording. Recordings from another source (karaoke backing tracks, other people's covers from Youtube, etc.), are not accepted. It cannot include any audio from the original song or another artist's cover recording.
Always credit the original songwriters. This is the only reference of the original writers, they shouldn’t be mentioned in the title/artwork nor be assigned any other role than the writer.
During the upload process, you need to indicate that it is a cover in the origin field.
With Amuse’s Cover Song Licensing Service, you can easily get the license you need for the U.S. and share your version with fans everywhere. Find out how it works here.
Already have your own license? Select ‘Limited distribution’ when you upload, then share your license with us via chat. Once we’ve reviewed it, we’ll unlock worldwide distribution for your release.
