As Bernard Cribbins might say, ‘Rights’ said Fred 🎶

You can distribute covers through RouteNote to Spotify, Deezer, Pandora, Tidal, iHeartRadio, Nuuday, Anghami, KKBOX and JioSaavn without needing a mechanical license.

If you don’t obtain the licenses, you can instead exclude the following territories from your release: USA, Canada, Mexico, India and Pakistan.

To distribute to all stores in all territories, or if you are looking to sell physical copies, you’ll need a mechanical license.

Please note! RouteNote is unable to distribute any covers to Korean service providers (Melon, Bugs!, Flo, Vibe, and Genie) without written permission from the original artist.

If you can obtain written permission from the original artist for this cover version, please contact moderation@routenote.com with any evidence, including your username and the UPC of this release.

How can I get a mechanical license?

We’d recommend using Affordable Song Licensing to obtain a mechanical license. It’s a small fee to gain track freedom!

Affordable Song Licensing have “the lowest fee out of any third party licensing agency” for mechanical licenses, at $12 per song, plus royalties. Please note! This will cover both digital and physical sales in the US.

For further information on how to buy a mechanical license, click here.

For further information on Affordable Song Licensing, click here.

If you have any further queries, feel free to get in touch with us!

Check out the full RouteNote Style Guide here!

More on cover releases:
How do I credit the original artist if my release is a cover?
What is a cover song?
Can I cover a song and use audio from the original track?
How do I format stores and territories for a cover release without a mechanical license?
Can I upload cover songs with RouteNote?
Which stores and territories can I send a cover track to?
What should I put in the C line if my release is a cover?
What should I put in the P line if my release is a cover?
Can I choose ‘soundtrack’ as my genre if the release is a cover?