Update (6/1/2024): As technology continues to evolve and we now have Large Language Models (LLMs) such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard available to the public to learn more about our world instantly, I recently came to know that a cover song that you create require two licenses from the original composition right holders (if you wish to do it legally).
- Mechanical Compulsory License (for audio)
- Synchronization License (for video)
In my YouTube channel, as I don’t own any of the original composition rights for the songs that I cover and upload (as I do it as my hobby purely for the love of music that I have), if you download my instrumental cover’s audio using any third-party website and use it for your own purposes, you are doing it solely based on your own risk, as you might not have the mechanical license and synchronization license from the original composition’s right owners.
It is highly appreciated if you treat my instrumental covers for entertainment purposes only and not reused by you for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you’re already using my cover song’s audio in your YouTube video, you are still required to have those above two mentioned licenses from the original composition’s right owners.
Note that there is no option to download my cover song’s audio for free from YouTube. Hence, whatever you do with my cover song audio is solely based on your own risk!
Update (4/1/2024): Cover song licensing (mechanical and synchronization) is really tricky as there are so many articles in the internet without a straight-forward process that an independent music artist can make use of. Thankfully, we now have Google’s Bard AI to help us navigate this painful process - Cover Song Licensing Steps.
Before reading this post, I highly encourage you to check out my summary as I create content in YouTube apart from my full-time engineering job and I come from a middle class family.
You’re probably here because you enjoy listening to my music covers on YouTube. During my YouTube music journey (2020-2022 was my active period as I got time to pursue my hobby during COVID-19), I regularly get comments from my viewers regarding using my music covers for their YouTube video.
Music that you hear in my YouTube channel are not 100% copyright-claim free as I do not own any of the original composition rights. As I upload my music covers to YouTube, they are available in YouTube to the public solely based on YouTube’s copyright policies.
You might probably get a copyright claim (NOT a copyright strike from me) if you use my music in your YouTube video.
Good to know
A YouTube cover video that I create involve lots of time + energy + effort + money spent on hardware equipment [Mixer, MIDI controller, Laptop, Studio monitors etc.,] + money spent on getting original software [Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins]. In addition, recording and editing the video of falling notes with my hands for my video’s visual involve playing the entire cover song live without any mistake for the entire length of the song.
You might have already understood creating these high-quality video + audio isn’t cheap, if you come from a middle class indian family and with a full-time engineering job.
I created this YouTube channel because I love making music (especially music production and music arrangements). As I do this as a hobby only during my free-time i.e. in addition to my full-time engineering job, these covers are a result of my passion towards music that I have from my childhood.
Hence, with your kindness and support (as mentioned in Can you use my cover song audio section), you help this channel to reach more people in the planet who love music as you and me 😇
Can you use my cover song audio
Previously, I mentioned that you were allowed to use my music covers in your YouTube video provided you did both the following.
- You must give credit to my YouTube channel https://youtube.com/gogulilangomusic in your YouTube video’s description.
- You must give credit to my YouTube channel name Gogul Ilango + channel URL https://youtube.com/gogulilangomusic at the credits section of your YouTube video.
Please note that previously you were only allowed to use my cover’s audio in your YouTube video as background music only. No other form (audio or video) of my cover’s audio is allowed to be used by you for commercial or non-commercial purposes in any other digital platforms.
But, after I learnt more about cover song licensing using this post which was published on December 2, 2022 and this post, based on my understanding of this topic, these permissions are still tricky to navigate for your own purposes (commercial or non-commercial), because you need to obtain two licenses from the original composition’s right owners eventhough it is distributed globally by YouTube.
Because of these existing challenges, although I have created all the arrangements of the instrumental covers myself and played/edited the cover song live with my hands for visual representation of the MIDI notes with particles, I would grealy appreciate if you view my instrumental covers for entertainment purposes only, without any reuse for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Thank you for your understanding 😇
Update (6/1/2024): If you download my instrumental cover’s audio using any third-party website and use it for your own video or audio purposes (commercial or non-commercial), you’re doing it solely based on your own risk as you might not have the mechanical license and synchronization license from the original composition’s right owners.
Strictly Prohibited
You should NOT do any of the following, else you will be in the risk of your audio/video being REMOVED or possible LEGAL ACTION being made by music publishing companies, music labels and/or right owners of the original composition.
- Reuploading my original cover videos on YouTube and other social media platforms (Instagram, SoundCloud, Twitter (X), Tik Tok etc.,)
- Uploading my original cover video’s audio to music streaming platforms (Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music etc.,)
- Using my original cover video/audio commercially on Television, Radio, Official Trailers, Films etc.,
- Removing my name in my original cover video and reuploading on YouTube and other social media platforms (Instagram, SoundCloud, Twitter, Tik Tok etc.,)
Audio Streaming
I use Soundrop as my digital distributor for my cover songs digital distribution to audio streaming platforms such as Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Instagram etc., They have good documentation about cover song licensing, digital distribution process, artist tips, music production etc., in their blog which I highly recommend for reading before you create a cover song that you love.
In case if you found something useful to add to this article or you found a bug in the code or would like to improve some points mentioned, feel free to write it down in the comments. Hope you found something useful here.