The short answer: a mashup of other people's songs can't go on streaming platforms unless every owner has agreed. A medley of your own songs is fine. The long answer is mostly about who those owners are, and why the process is usually too slow for what a mashup is meant to be.
What a mashup and a medley are
A mashup combines parts of two or more existing songs into a new track. The classic version puts the vocal of one song over the instrumental of another. A medley plays several songs one after another, sometimes blended, as one piece.
The key point is that both are built from songs that already exist. If the songs aren't yours, each of them comes with owners whose permission you need before the track is sold or streamed.
Two layers of rights in every song
A recorded song has two separate layers:
- The composition: the melody and the lyrics. It belongs to the songwriters and usually their publishers.
- The master: the specific recording. It belongs to the label or the artist who made it.
If your mashup uses the original recordings, such as the acapella of one song and the instrumental of another, you need permission for both layers of every song. If you re-record everything yourself, you don't need master permission, but you still need permission for the composition, because the melody and words are still someone else's.
A mashup also changes and combines the works, and that usually takes it out of the simple licensing routes available for plain cover versions in many countries. In practice you often need direct approval from each owner. Rules vary by country, so treat this as general information and check the rules where you live.
Why most mashups stay on social media
Mashups are everywhere on social apps, but that doesn't mean they're cleared for streaming.
- Social platforms usually have licence agreements with labels and publishers that cover users' short clips inside the app. Those agreements don't cover selling or streaming your own release elsewhere.
- Even on social media, owners can mute, claim or remove a video. On YouTube, a Content ID claim usually sends any earnings to the owners.
- When you upload to streaming platforms through a distributor, you confirm that you have all the rights. Platforms and rights holders do check, and infringing releases get taken down. Repeated problems can put your account at risk.
- Getting permission is slow. A two-song mashup means two sets of composition owners and, if you use the recordings, two labels. Any of them can say no or ask for a share.
Some DJ-mix platforms have their own deals with rights organisations, which cover that platform only. They don't give you the right to put the same mix on streaming services.
Medleys: your own songs and other people's
A medley of your own songs is fine, as long as you own them. Check these points first:
- Every co-writer agrees to the new version, and the splits are written down.
- If any of the original recordings belong to a label or a former partner, you need their permission to reuse those masters. Re-recording the songs yourself avoids that problem.
- All songs and all writers are listed in the credits and metadata of the medley.
A medley of other people's songs follows the same rules as covers, plus the extra step of cutting and combining. For a single cover, many countries have standard licensing routes. For a medley, the rights organisation or publisher may want to approve it directly, so ask before you release.
How to ask for permission
- Find the owners: look at the credits of each song, the publisher names and the label names.
- Contact the publisher for the composition and the label for the master, if you use the recording.
- Describe exactly what you want to do: which parts, how long, on which platforms, in which countries, and that it is a commercial release.
- Agree the terms in writing: a fee or a share, credit lines and how long the permission lasts.
- Keep that paperwork, and wait for the answer before you upload anything.
It can take weeks or months, and the answer may be no. Be prepared to drop the idea. When you submit a release in the CULT portal, you confirm that you own or hold permission for all the audio, artwork and materials, and that includes every song inside a mashup.
What you can do instead
- Write an original song with the same mood, without copying anyone's melody or words.
- Use official stems and remix contests where a label or artist gives permission for a remix.
- Use loops and samples whose licence allows commercial release, and keep the licence.
- Keep the mashup as a social video, and release your own music on streaming.
- Take care with folk melodies: the tune may be old, but a particular arrangement or recording can still be protected.
A mashup can be a great way to get attention for a clip. It's just a poor foundation for a release, so use the attention to bring people to songs you own.