Licensing Your Cover Songs for Spotify & Apple Music

So you’ve recorded your perfect cover. It sounds great, the mix is finished, and you’re ready to hit “upload” to Spotify, Apple Music etc. But before you release it — there’s one important step you can’t skip: licensing.

When you record a cover using a backing track, you will need to secure two separate rights before releasing it.

1. The sound recording — rights to use the actual instrumental or backing track audio including clips or samples.
2. The song itself, known as the composition — rights to use the melody, lyrics and structure, owned by the original songwriter or publisher.

If you’re sharing your cover video on YouTube, things work a little differently. You can get all the right info in this article.

Licensing your backing track

Let’s start with using backing tracks. If you used a karaoke or acoustic instrumental that someone else produced (for example, a Sing2Piano, Sing2Guitar or a soundalike version from Sing2Karaoke or karaoke SESH), that recording belongs to the person or company who created it. To legally use it in your release, you need their permission — usually in the form of a distribution licence or usage agreement.

A distribution licence from the producer allows you to upload the instrumental as part of your release on streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music. It also means you can collect royalties from your version where applicable. Without it, even if your cover gets popular, it could be muted, removed, or flagged for copyright — and that’s the last thing any artist wants after putting in all that work.

Even if you purchased the track, that doesn’t mean you have automatic rights to upload to streaming services. Most purchases cover only personal use (such as practising or private performances). To officially release it on streaming platforms, you need a licence that specifically says you can distribute and earn revenue from it. 

Thankfully, Sing2Music make licensing our backing tracks super easy. If you have used one of our instrumentals in your cover, simply head to this page, fill out your details and our friendly team will get back to you promptly with a licence that best fits your use and budget. 

Just be aware that after you’ve licensed the content in your cover – like a backing track or instrumental – you still cannot deliver to services that automatically detect matches of your cover in videos posted on social media platforms like YouTube Content ID, Instagram & Facebook, and TikTok. You must own all the rights to your recording in order to utilise detection services for these platforms.

Licensing the composition

Once you’ve secured your backing track distribution licence, there’s the second licence — the mechanical licence. This gives you the right to record and distribute your version of someone else’s song (the composition). It covers interactive streams and, permanent digital downloads, from platforms that reproduce the track digitally.

If you’re using DIY distributors like DistroKid, TuneCore, or CD Baby, here’s how it works:

• DistroKid offers a built-in cover-song licence service. When you enable it, they collect and send the songwriter’s royalties automatically, making it less complicated.
• TuneCore and CD Baby expect you to get your own mechanical licence first — usually through agencies like Affordable Song Licensing, The Harry Fox Agency or Easy Song Licensing. Without it, your cover can be rejected or taken down.

There are many other options available, so do your research to find which distributor best suits your needs. If you want to run anything by us, feel free to drop us a line.

Acquiring licences isn’t just about avoiding copyright issues — it’s about respecting the original creators and protecting yourself. When handled correctly, it ensures that you, the songwriters and the backing track owner, all get their fair share. It’s a win for everyone, and it keeps your release safe from takedowns, blocked monetisation, or awkward legal emails later. 

Here’s a quick pre-upload checklist to make sure your cover is free from copyright issues and ready to monetise.

1. Get a distribution license to use the backing track. This usually comes from the producer of the instrumental (ie. Sing2Music)

2. Secure a mechanical licence for the song, either through your distributor or an agency such as Harry Fox or Easy Song Licensing.

Once that’s sorted, you’re free to share your cover with the world — confidently, legally, and professionally.