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Our standard service fee is $19.99 per song, plus royalties owed to the original songwriter(s). The royalty amount depends on the length of your recording and quantity you are licensing.

To see the estimated cost for your project, use our Cover Song Pricing Calculator.

To receive a quote, please submit your release details in a project through our Cover Song Licensing portal.

We also offer volume discounts: 6–10 songs at $18.99 each, 11–20 at $17.99, and 21–49 at $16.99. For 50 or more songs, contact us for custom pricing. See full details on our Volume Discounts page.

Reorders on the same song are half-price, or free if you have our Seal of Authenticity. Full details: Half-Price Reorders.

Yes, you need a Synchronization license. A Cover Song License does not grant video permissions for YouTube or social media.

A Cover Song License (which is a Compulsory Mechanical License) allows you to release audio-only formats like iTunes, Amazon, CDs, vinyl, and downloads.

When you pair audio with visual elements (even a simple lyric video or a performance filmed on your phone), that creates a synchronization ("sync") use, which requires permission directly from the music publisher.

You may notice other people posting cover videos without a license. Major publishers have blanket agreements with platforms like YouTube that may prevent immediate takedowns, but this does not mean those creators have formal permission. The rights holder can take down the video, block it in certain countries, claim all monetization, or issue a channel strike at any time. A sync license gives you peace of mind and proof of permission.

If you need a license for a video, our licensing team can help facilitate your request through our Custom Licensing Service.

Yes. Our Cover Song Licensing portal allows you to submit songs together.

For optimal accuracy, we suggest you group songs as they are actually released. For example: Submit album songs together. Submit singles separately.

Volume discounts apply automatically based on the number of songs you submit: 6-10 songs at $18.99 each, 11-20 at $17.99, and 21-49 at $16.99. Full details on our Volume Discounts page.

You will receive Proof of Licensing for each song within 1-2 business days. If you are licensing 50 or more songs, contact us for custom pricing.

Yes. Our Cover Song Licensing service covers physical formats including CDs, vinyl, and cassettes. During submission, you will select the format and specify the number of units you plan to manufacture.

Important: A U.S. compulsory mechanical license is only valid for physical products manufactured in the United States. If your CDs or vinyl will be pressed or duplicated outside the U.S. (for example, at a European or Asian pressing plant), you will need to obtain licensing through the mechanical rights society in the country where manufacturing takes place. If you are unsure, contact us and we can help you figure out the right path.

For physical releases, you may also want to consider our Seal of Authenticity, a verifiable QR code you can print on your album artwork that links to a public record of your licensing on IDBLM.org. It also includes fee-free reorders for life on that project.

Typically, yes. A Cover Song License (which is a Compulsory Mechanical License) requires that the lyrics remain identical to the original and the fundamental melody stays recognizable. Minor embellishments to the musical arrangement are fine, but the melody and lyrics must be intact.

If you have changed any lyrics (even one word), significantly altered the melody, created a medley or mashup combining multiple songs, or remixed or rearranged the composition into something substantially different, a compulsory mechanical license will not cover your project. These types of changes require direct permission from the music publisher, which falls under our Custom Licensing service.

Not sure which category your project falls into? Start a free consultation with our team with details about what you changed and we will help you determine the right licensing path.

Licensing requirements for distribution can vary depending on the digital distributor you use (such as Symphonic, TuneCore, CD Baby, or others). We always recommend checking directly with your distributor's Terms of Use or FAQs to see exactly what they require.

If your distributor has directed you to get a license, or if their policy requires one, it is often because their distribution network includes digital download stores (like iTunes and Amazon) that still require the artist to obtain mechanical licensing.

For this, we recommend licensing for digital downloads at the minimum quantity (10 downloads) through our Cover Song Licensing portal. This is the most affordable option to fulfill their requirement and get your release approved. You can use our Pricing Calculator to see the exact cost.

Our license works with most major distributors. Turnaround is 1–2 business days, and you will receive a Proof of Licensing document to provide directly to your distributor.

Note: Our Seal of Authenticity includes fee-free reorders, making it easy to update your license later without extra service fees if you sell more than 10 downloads.

We offer two main licensing services, and which one you need depends on your specific project:

Cover Song Licensing is for straightforward audio-only cover songs. You recorded your own version of an existing song, the lyrics and melody are unchanged, and you want to release it on streaming platforms, downloads, CDs, or vinyl. This uses a compulsory mechanical license. Cost starts at $19.99 per song plus royalties, with Proof of Licensing delivered in 1–2 business days.

Custom Licensing is for everything else where you need direct permission from the music publisher or record label.

This includes:

• Video and sync use (YouTube, film, TV, social media)
• Lyric or melody changes
• Samples & interpolations
• Medleys & mashups
• Print use (lyrics in a book or publication)
• Theatrical productions
• Podcasts & Audiobooks
• Advertisements

Custom Licensing involves our team negotiating with rights holders on your behalf. The service fee is $399 (covers up to 5 song requests), and approval is not guaranteed because it depends on the rights holder's decision.

If you are not sure which service you need, Start a free consultation with our team with your project details and we will point you in the right direction.

Most digital distributors (Symphonic, TuneCore, CD Baby, and others) require Proof of Licensing before they will distribute a cover song. If your release was rejected or taken down, our first recommendation is to get a written explanation from your distributor for this action. If it is licensing related, please contact us.

It depends on how you plan to use the song:

Recording a worship cover for streaming or download: If you recorded your own version of a worship song and want to release it as audio-only on Spotify, Apple Music, or similar platforms, our Cover Song Licensing service covers this, just like any other cover song.

Printing lyrics in a church bulletin, hymnal, or program: Reproducing lyrics in print (physical or digital) requires a print license, which involves getting direct permission from the music publisher. This falls under our Custom Licensing service.

Recording a video of a church performance: If you are filming a live worship performance and plan to post it online or distribute it, that is a synchronization (sync) use and also requires Custom Licensing.

Live performance only (no recording, no print): Public performance rights are typically handled through your venue's or organization's performing rights organization (ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC) license, not through Easy Song. Many churches already have a license in place that covers this.

Not sure which scenario applies to you? Start a free consultation with our team and we will help you sort it out.

Reprinting song lyrics in any publication (a book, e-book, church bulletin, poster, or greeting card) requires a print license, which is a type of direct permission from the music publisher. This is not covered by a standard mechanical license.

Our Custom Licensing team handles print licensing requests. The Custom Licensing service fee is $399 (covers up to 5 song requests). Our team will contact the publisher on your behalf to request permission and negotiate the terms.

Start a free consultation with our team with the song title, the publication it will appear in, and how many copies you expect to produce, and we can walk you through the process.

Our Cover Song Licensing service uses the U.S. compulsory mechanical license under Section 115 of the Copyright Act. This license covers distribution within the United States.

If you are distributing digital downloads to a U.S.-based online store or website, our license generally applies because the point of distribution is within the U.S.

If your physical products (CDs, vinyl) are being manufactured within the U.S., our license generally applies because the product is made in the U.S.

If your physical products (CDs, vinyl) are being manufactured outside of the U.S., a compulsory mechanical license does not cover that. You would need to obtain licensing through the mechanical rights society in the country where manufacturing takes place.

If you are based outside the U.S. and unsure whether our service applies to your situation, Start a free consultation with your project details and we can help you determine the right path forward.

Yes. Sampling (using a portion of someone else's audio recording in your track) and interpolation (re-performing a melody, lyric, or harmonic element from an existing song in a new composition) both require licensing, but they work differently.

Sampling requires two sides of permission: the publishing side (representing the songwriters and their composition) and the record label side (representing the original master sound recording). Both parties must agree to terms.

Interpolation typically requires only the publishing side, since you are re-performing the musical element rather than using the original recording. The approach and cost depend solely on the original composition you incorporated.

Both of these fall under our Custom Licensing service. Our team will identify the rights holders, submit requests on your behalf, and negotiate terms. The Custom Licensing service fee is $399 (covers up to 5 song requests).

Start a free consultation with details about the song you sampled or interpolated and we can assess what is needed.

Easy Song is a music rights company. We help artists, creators, filmmakers, businesses, and anyone else who needs legal permission to use copyrighted music. Our core services include:

Cover Song Licensing: For releasing audio-only cover songs on streaming platforms, downloads, CDs, or vinyl. Starting at $19.99 per song plus royalties, with Proof of Licensing in 1-2 business days.

Custom Licensing: For projects that require direct permission from music publishers or record labels, including video/sync, lyric changes, samples, print use, theatrical, commercial, and more. $399 service fee covers up to 5 song requests.

Copyright Registration: For protecting your own original music by registering it with the U.S. Copyright Office. Starting at $99 per song plus federal filing fees.

Marketplace: Pre-cleared cover recordings by real musicians, ready to license for your project.

What we do not do: For services outside our scope, see our Other Services page for partner referrals.

In the United States, musical compositions published before January 1, 1930, are in the public domain, meaning no permission is needed to use the composition. However, even if the underlying composition is public domain, a specific recording of that song may still be protected by separate copyright held by the record label.

If you submit a cover song through our Cover Song Licensing portal and we determine it is public domain, you will receive an automatic refund of our service fee and any royalties paid. That is part of our Money Back Guarantee.

The U.S. Copyright Office is still developing its guidance on AI-generated content. As of now, works generated entirely by AI without meaningful human authorship are generally not eligible for copyright registration. However, works that involve substantial human creative input alongside AI tools may qualify.

Copyrighting an AI Song: If your song involves AI in its creation and you want to explore copyright protection, start a free consultation here so we can discuss your specific situation.

Covering an AI Song: If the song's composition is not registered with the Copyright Office and has no identifiable human copyright holder, there may be no one to license from. This is an evolving area. Contact us with details and we can help you assess the situation.

Note: We are a 3rd party licensing service, not a law firm. For specific legal questions about AI and copyright, we recommend consulting an entertainment attorney.

For a single song, the total cost is $164, which includes our $99 service fee and the $65 federal filing fee charged by the U.S. Copyright Office. For a group filing of up to 10 unreleased songs, the total can be as low as $184 ($99 service fee + $85 federal filing fee).

You can calculate the exact cost for your project using our Copyright Pricing Calculator.

You will receive a Proof of Filing within 1–2 business days of submitting your registration through us. The official registration certificate from the Copyright Office takes longer (processing times vary), but your Proof of Filing provides documentation that your registration has been submitted.

Learn more on our Copyright Registration page.

Giving credit to the original artist does not make something Fair Use. Fair Use is a legal defense with specific criteria that are determined on a case-by-case basis by courts. It is not something that can be claimed simply by crediting the source.

We are licensing specialists, not attorneys, so we cannot advise on whether any specific use qualifies as Fair Use. What we can tell you is that the safest path is always to obtain the proper license. If you have a project that uses copyrighted music, start a free consultation today and we can help you identify exactly what permissions are needed.

For Cover Song Licensing, your Proof of Licensing is delivered within 1–2 business days after you submit your order. Check the email address associated with your Easy Song account, including your spam/junk folder.

If more than 2 business days have passed and you have not received your Proof of Licensing, contact us with your order details and we will look into it.

For Custom Licensing, the timeline is different. Custom Licensing involves direct negotiation with music publishers and/or record labels, and turnaround depends on their response time. Your assigned agent will keep you updated throughout the process.

A compulsory mechanical license (Cover Song License) has specific requirements. If any of the following apply to your project, it may fall outside the scope of this license and require Custom Licensing instead:

• You changed any of the original lyrics (even slightly)
• You significantly altered the melody so it is no longer recognizable
• You are using a portion of someone else's original audio recording (a sample)
• Your release includes video of any kind
• The song has never been commercially released before
• You are licensing retroactively (after the release is already live)
• Your release serves a purpose beyond private listening by the end user (commercial, theatrical, etc.)

If any of these apply, our team needs to contact the publisher directly on your behalf to request permission, which is what Custom Licensing covers. If you believe your project was flagged incorrectly, contact us with your project details and we can take a look.

Once we've filed with the rightsholders, changes to any license details are limited. If you need to make changes to your Proof of Licensing (such as correcting a name, updating quantities, or modifying release details), please contact us immediately with your order information and the specific changes you need.