A cover is the quickest way to put your voice on a song people already know. It is also the release type that runs into rights questions most often, because half of what you are releasing belongs to someone else. Sort out that half before you upload, not after a takedown notice.
Two rights in one cover
Every recorded song carries two separate rights. The composition is the song itself: melody, harmony and lyrics, owned by the songwriters and usually their publishers. The master is one specific recording of that song.
When you record a cover, the master is yours. You booked the studio, you sang, your producer built the arrangement. The composition is not yours. That is why a cover is fine when the composition side is licensed and a problem when it isn't, however good your recording is.
It also means a cover has to be your own new recording. If you sing over the original instrumental or lift a section of the original track, you are using someone else's master as well, and that needs separate permission from whoever owns it. Karaoke backing tracks found online fall into the same category: somebody recorded them, and that somebody has rights.
Licensing the song
Permission to reproduce and distribute a composition as audio is usually called a mechanical licence. How you get one depends on where the release will be available.
- In some countries, streaming services hold blanket licences with collecting societies or similar bodies, and these cover the composition side of streams, covers included.
- Downloads and some territories still require a mechanical licence obtained separately, through a licensing service or directly from the publisher.
- Who issues licences, and on what terms, differs from country to country and changes over time.
The practical step is to find out who publishes the song (collecting society databases usually list this), check what is required in the countries you are releasing in, and keep proof of any licence you get. If you can't work out who owns a song, that is a reason to wait, not to upload and hope.
Arranging is fine, rewriting is not
A cover can sound nothing like the original. Changing tempo, genre, instruments or key is normal, and a standard licence generally lets you adapt the song to your style.
What it does not cover is changing the song itself. New lyrics, an extra verse, a translation into another language or a mash-up with another song all create a new version of the composition. That requires direct permission from the publisher or the writers. Say Mara Vey wants to release an English ballad in her own Spanish translation: that is a derivative work, and she needs a yes from the rights holders before it goes anywhere.
That includes small changes. Swapping a line in the chorus for the name of your city, or dropping a verse and writing a rap part in its place, already counts as changing the lyrics. If in doubt, write to the publisher and describe exactly what you want to change.
Credits, titles and artwork
How you fill in the release form matters as much as the licence.
- Songwriters: list the original composer and lyricist by their real names. Don't add yourself as a writer unless you actually co-wrote the song.
- Performer: that's you. Never list the original artist on your release, because it suggests they took part.
- Title: use the original song title, spelled as published. Leave out phrases like "originally by" and the original artist's name, which stores treat as misleading. If the release form lets you mark the track as a cover, do it.
- Artwork: your own image. The original single's cover or a photo of the original artist is off limits.
How platforms and Content ID treat covers
Covers go through the same review as any other release, with extra attention to rights and credits. Reviewers may ask for proof of licensing, especially for well-known songs, so keeping it ready saves days.
YouTube Content ID is a separate question. It works on exclusive rights, and with a cover you control the recording but not the song. CULT checks rights first and adds only eligible releases to Content ID, so expect a cover to be looked at case by case rather than enrolled automatically.
Quick answers
Do I need the original singer's permission?
Not as such. The rights you need belong to the songwriters and publishers. If the singer also wrote the song, you deal with their publisher.
What about folk songs?
Genuinely traditional songs with no known author are usually free to record, and the writer field often says Traditional. Be careful, though: some songs everyone calls folk were written by known composers whose rights are still protected. A particular modern arrangement can also have its own owner, so check before you assume.
Can I earn from a cover?
Yes, once the composition is licensed. Composition royalties go to the writers and publishers through the usual channels, and your income comes from your recording.