If you also want to offer the song for download, for example via iTunes or Bandcamp, or physically publish the track on CD or vinyl, you need a separate license. These can be obtained from collecting societies such as GEMA, SUISA or AKM. Important: For example, if you want to cover a song by a British artist, you do not necessarily need to contact the British collecting society. Collecting societies are all interconnected, so you can easily get in touch with the one you already work with. To the medium to very well-known artist: What is your YouTube view count? Maybe 7000 to 10000 views? More? Awesome. Well.. This means that you get attention, and it also means that there is a greater chance that your coverages will get legal attention. […] YouTube covers are fun and can offer great exposure to up-and-coming musicians. But before you release a cover, it`s important to understand the licenses you need to do it legally. And it is advisable to acquire these licenses before spending a lot of time and money recording your music video. Releasing a cover is tricky because you are neither the composer nor the lyricist of the song and therefore have no copyright on the track.

However, you can quickly gain new listeners with a successful recovery. Fortunately, you only have to consider a few points to publish your version legally. Why not? Well, YouTube has developed a monetization system that allows rights holders and content creators to bypass the usual licensing process for cover videos. But before we get to the heart of the matter, let`s discuss the license you`d have to get if you wanted to be sure that your cover video was released after the book, up-and-up and completely legitimate and legal Adler. First, an important warning: I am not a lawyer. If you are concerned about legal issues, you should consult a lawyer. That being said, CD Baby runs a huge catalog of songs and videos on YouTube, and we have a lot of experience that we rely on to give the following general tips. We go deep into Music Copyright 101 if you are looking for even more information. All songs released in 1922 or earlier are in the public domain, meaning they are no longer protected by copyright and can be used by anyone. Any other songs that you cannot legally perform or distribute on YouTube unless you purchase a license. “Published” under copyright law is defined as: Some copyright holders have nothing against YouTube covers – they increase the popularity of a song and can introduce the original songwriter or artist`s music to a new audience.

If songs are posted by fans, a band probably won`t alienate them by deleting their videos. That`s right, you could ALWAYS be knocked down or sued by the publisher. But it`s very rare these days. Most publishers understand that monetizing cover videos through YouTube ads can generate real revenue. It`s better to make money (with little or no effort) with artists who can`t wait to share their songs than to have to spend time and money fighting cover videos that haven`t been allowed through official sync channels. In most cases, getting a Content ID claim isn`t a bad thing for your YouTube channel. It just means, “Hey, we found footage in your video that belongs to someone else.” A copyright in a song gives its owners a number of rights, including the right to perform the song publicly, create a derivative work based on the song, reproduce the song, distribute copies, and display the song publicly. Sonic Bids has covered this issue with an exhaustive list of tools to find out who owns the copyright to almost every song you can think of: Photo credit: featured image, Infobox image: © Danyel André (2016); Figure 1: © iStock/volare2004; Figure 2: © iStock/BrianAJackson; Image 3: © iStock/mattabbe; Figure 4: © iStock/stockcam; Image 5: © iStock/Highwaystarz photograph; Figure 6: © iStock/Kuzma; Article images: alle-noten.de “An author determines the rights of performance, reproduction, publication and distribution of his works.

It can have these rights represented by a publisher or a collecting society such as GEMA,” explains Heiko Maus. Nowadays, it is incredibly easy to get a mechanical license to reproduce a song. Ari Herstand reviewed three services that will help acquire this license for about $15: Loudr, Songfile, and Easy Song Licensing. There is little room for lawyers or prosecutions in this system because the rules are clearly and universally applied. The princes sing in All That Is Not Stolen: “Let`s hope no one notices the fraud!” But what exactly counts as fraud when it comes to edited music? Music expert Heiko Maus first explains what is meant by terms such as “sampling”, “covering”, “copying” and “editing” of music. At the latest, if the expressive content deviates significantly from the original, there is treatment. Arrangements are usually also adaptations. If works in the public domain (such as folk music) are rearranged or arranged, the second evaluation standard applies to determining the level of creation. Before I answer this question, I`ll tell you a secret: almost NO ONE who creates song cover videos jumps through hoops to get the proper license before posting those videos on YouTube.

The biggest difference between Loudr, Easy Song Licensing, and Songfile is that Songfile will only issue licenses for the songs they represent. HFA [which runs Songfile] represents most publishers (in America), but not all. So if you want to cover an obscure German band (without US representation) or a hot independent band from Boston that doesn`t have a publisher, you can`t do it via HFA. Loudr and Easy Song Licensing will track down these licenses for you. Here`s what you need to know about music copyright and the types of licenses you need. Sounds like a lot of work? This is true for most artists, especially YouTubers, who often create a new cover video every week. That`s where this next licensing method comes in. YouTube`s impressive Content ID system analyzes the elements of each video uploaded to the platform to determine if a video contains copyrighted material (sound recordings, compositions, videos, etc.). In this case, YouTube`s Content ID system automatically claims this video on behalf of the rights holder.

With completion aids, calculation examples, and checklists for the optimal outcome – This guide helps every musician or music operator find their way through the jungle of authorities. The functions of the institutions are described in detail. (3rd edition updated, 9783937841557, €28.00) Will they be prosecuted? Will their videos be tagged with a copyright infringement notice or removal request? Sometimes, yes. But on the whole, no. With these services, you estimate the number of downloads/CDs you will sell and pay that amount x 9.1 cents (the mechanical royalty set by the U.S. government – if the song is less than 5 minutes long).