Mechanical Licenses for Cover Songs
Legally releasing someone else's song.
What it is
If you record and release a cover of a song you didn't write, you need a mechanical license to distribute it. Services like Harry Fox Agency and Easy Song help you obtain one.
When you need it
Before you distribute any cover of a copyrighted composition.
You pay a mechanical royalty per copy/stream (a statutory rate) plus, through a service, a processing fee. Verify the current statutory mechanical rate and service fees.
Where artists lose money
This one costs YOU money if skipped — releasing a cover without a mechanical license is unlicensed use and can get the release taken down or expose you to liability.
Covers vs. samples — not the same thing
A COVER (re-recording an existing composition faithfully) is covered by a compulsory mechanical license — you can get one without the original writer's permission, at the statutory rate.
A SAMPLE (using part of someone's actual master recording) is NOT covered by a mechanical license. Sampling requires clearing BOTH the master (from the owner of the recording) and the composition — separate negotiated permissions. See sample clearance in the checklist.
U.S. law (Section 115) provides a compulsory mechanical license for covers at a statutory rate — you don't need the writer's permission, but you must license and pay. For physical copies and permanent downloads the 2026 rate is 13.1¢ per track (or 2.52¢ per minute, whichever is greater), effective through Dec 31, 2026 — CPI-adjusted each year from the 12¢/2.31¢ 2023 base (Federal Register COLA notice). Interactive-streaming mechanicals use a separate percentage-of-revenue formula. Verify the current-year figure — it changes every January.
Samples require clearing both the master and the composition through negotiated permissions — a mechanical license does NOT cover sampling.
Official links
- Harry Fox Agency (HFA)www.harryfox.com
- Easy Songwww.easysong.com