How to Legally Release a Cover Song in the UK: Licences, Royalties and the Exact Steps to Follow
By Written by Peter McVeigh
Your artist records a killer cover, the mix sounds better than the original, and you're ready to release. Then it gets taken down from Spotify three days later, or worse, a rights holder files a claim and every penny earned goes straight to someone else. This happens constantly, and it happens because managers and artists confuse enthusiasm for process. Releasing a cover song legally in the UK is not complicated, but it does require the right licences in the right order, and this article tells you exactly what to get, where to get it, and what your rights look like on the other side.
What You Will Have Sorted by the End of This
By the time you finish reading this, you will know which licences apply to a UK cover song release depending on your format, whether you are distributing digitally, pressing physical copies, or both. You will know where to obtain those licences, what they cost, and what role MCPS, PRS for Music, and PPL each play in the process. You will also understand precisely what rights you hold over your own recording once it is out in the world, which is a separate and frequently misunderstood question.
Before anything else, be clear on a foundational distinction: two separate copyrights exist in any recorded song. The first is the publishing copyright, which covers the underlying composition, the melody and lyrics. The second is the master copyright, which covers the specific sound recording. When you release a cover song, you are creating a new master. You own that master. You do not own, and are not attempting to acquire, any rights to the underlying composition. What you are doing is obtaining permission to use that composition in your recording, and to distribute that recording commercially.
Getting this wrong is not a grey area. Distributing a cover without the correct mechanical licence means you are infringing copyright. Rights holders, via their collection societies or directly, can and do pursue claims. Digital stores will remove the content, and any revenue generated may be clawed back or redirected. That is the stakes. Get the licences first.
What You Need Before You Start
Get these details confirmed before you approach any licensing platform or society. Missing even one will slow the process or cause an error in your licence application.
The ISRC code for your recording. This is a unique identifier for your master recording. Your distributor or aggregator will issue one, but if you are pressing physical copies first, you can register through PPL UK, which administers ISRC codes in the UK. Do not distribute the same recording under two different ISRCs.
The song's publishing details. You need the correct title, the original songwriter or songwriters, and the publisher or publishers who control the composition rights. This information is publicly searchable on the PRS for Music repertoire database and on ASCAP, SESAC, and SOCAN's equivalents if the writers are registered abroad. Some compositions have multiple publishers controlling different territories, so verify who controls UK rights specifically.
Your artist or label name as it will appear on release. This needs to match exactly what you use with your distributor. Inconsistencies cause reporting failures and, in some cases, delayed royalty payments.
The release date. Some licensing routes require a minimum notice period. DistroKid's cover song licensing partner, for example, recommends applying at least a few days ahead of the release date. MCPS direct applications can take longer depending on whether the work is already registered in their system.
Your release format. Are you releasing digitally only, pressing vinyl or CDs, or both? The licence type differs. Digital distribution and physical manufacture each carry their own mechanical licensing obligations, and they are not interchangeable.
Step 1 — Obtain a Mechanical Licence for Digital Distribution
A mechanical licence gives you the legal right to reproduce the underlying composition in your recording and distribute it digitally. In the UK and Ireland, for digital releases, this is typically handled either through the MCPS (Mechanical Copyright Protection Society), which operates as part of PRS for Music, or through a third-party licensing platform that acts on your behalf.
MCPS direct. If the song is registered with PRS for Music, you can apply for a mechanical licence directly through MCPS. Go to prsformusic.com, find the licensing section for recording artists, and look for the Online Music Licence or the direct application route for cover recordings. MCPS will collect the mechanical royalties from your distributor on behalf of the original songwriter. The standard mechanical royalty rate in the UK is 8.5% of the published price to dealer (PPD) for physical formats, but for digital streaming, the rate is calculated differently, based on minimum per-stream rates set through licensing agreements between MCPS and the DSPs. You are not paying this fee upfront in the streaming context; your distributor pays it, and it flows to the publisher.
Third-party aggregator licensing. Several distributors and standalone services handle the mechanical licence for digital releases as part of their workflow. These include:
- DistroKid, which uses a built-in cover song licensing tool at the point of upload. It identifies the song, files the licence through its licensing partner (currently Harry Fox Agency and Songfile for US works, with additional routes for international repertoire), and handles the mechanical royalty payments automatically. This is clean and fast for most catalogue. - Songfile via Harry Fox Agency (hfa.com) is a direct option used by many US-published works. Works for UK artists releasing covers of US compositions. - Easy Song Licensing (easysonglicensing.com) is a standalone licensing platform that covers a wide range of compositions and works well for UK artists seeking a dedicated licence document rather than relying on an aggregator's built-in tool. - DistroKid's licensing tool aside, TuneCore and CD Baby both have their own cover song licensing workflows built into their upload process for digital releases. CD Baby's solution is powered by Songfile.
Check whether the composition is registered with PRS for Music. If it is, and you are distributing through a DSP, the DSP's existing licence with MCPS may already cover the mechanical rights for streaming, meaning your aggregator's reporting is what triggers the payment rather than a separate licence you obtain. Confirm this with your distributor before assuming the licence is covered.
Step 2 — Physical Copies, MCPS, and What Pressing Actually Requires
Pressing physical copies of a cover song, whether vinyl, CD, or cassette, requires a separate mechanical licence from MCPS that is distinct from any digital arrangement. The DSP licensing agreements that cover streaming do not extend to physical product. If you are pressing 500 copies of a 7-inch featuring a cover, you need a licence before the copies are manufactured.
Apply directly to MCPS through PRS for Music. The licence for physical mechanical reproduction is called an AP2 licence for audio products. You declare the title, the songwriter, the publisher, the quantity being pressed, and the format. MCPS will issue the licence and invoice you for the mechanical royalty based on the quantity pressed and the retail price. The rate for physical audio product in the UK has historically sat around 8.5% of PPD, though MCPS may also apply a minimum per-unit rate. For a pressing of 500 vinyl singles at a dealer price of roughly £5.00 per unit, you are looking at a mechanical royalty bill in the region of £210 to £250. Factor that into your budget before you confirm the pressing order.
Your pressing plant will not ask for proof of licence as a condition of manufacture in every case, but that does not mean you are covered without one. If the rights holder or MCPS identifies an unlicensed pressing, they can pursue the full royalty owed plus additional damages. Do not press without the licence in place.
PPL and physical releases. PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited) licences the use of recorded music in public performance and broadcasting. As the owner of the master recording of your cover, you are the PPL rights holder for that recording. Register the master with PPL so that if your track gets played on UK radio or in a public venue, you and your artist receive the performance royalties generated by the master. PPL membership for record labels and independent artists is free. Register at ppluk.com. This is not a licence you obtain; it is a registration that ensures royalties flow back to you.
Step 3 — PRS for Music and the Performance Royalties You Should Not Be Missing
PRS for Music collects performance and communication royalties on behalf of songwriters and publishers when music is performed publicly or communicated to the public, including radio play, streaming, live performance, and TV. When your artist releases a cover song, PRS's role is on the publishing side, not the master side. The royalties generated by the underlying composition through performance and streaming go to the original songwriter and their publisher via PRS.
What this means for you as the releasing party: you are not collecting PRS royalties from the cover song's composition. Those flow to the original writers. However, if your artist has co-written anything or has their own original catalogue registered with PRS, this is a completely separate matter and should be registered separately.
Where PRS does directly affect your cover song release is in live performance. If your artist performs a cover song live at a venue in the UK, that venue should hold a PRS licence. The venue reports the setlist, PRS distributes the performance royalties to the songwriter of the original composition. Your artist's responsibility here is limited to confirming the setlist is reported accurately. Many smaller venues do not report reliably. If your artist is playing covers regularly as a significant part of their live set, this is worth raising with the venue directly to ensure compliance, not as a royalty collection point for you, but because unregistered performances create a compliance risk for the venue and muddy the data.
One area where PRS does work in your favour on a cover: if your artist re-publishes the song under an arrangement they created, and that arrangement is sufficiently original to attract its own copyright, they may be able to register an arranger share with PRS. The threshold for this is meaningful creative contribution to the composition itself, not just a new production style. PRS have specific guidance on arranger registrations. Contact them directly at prsformusic.com to establish whether the arrangement qualifies before you file anything.
What Rights You Own Over Your Own Recording
This is where a lot of artists and managers get genuinely confused. You do not own the song. You own the recording. That distinction matters enormously in terms of what you can and cannot do with the track after release.
As the owner of the master recording, your rights include the following. You can license your recording for sync, meaning if a TV producer wants to use your cover version of a song in a programme, they need to clear two rights: the sync licence for the underlying composition (from the publisher or PRS) and a licence for your master recording (from you). You control that second licence entirely. You can set your own sync fee for the master. Standard master sync fees for independent artists run from a few hundred pounds for low-budget or student productions up to several thousand for broadcast television, with broadcast rates varying significantly depending on territory, duration, and exclusivity.
You can also license your recording for compilation releases, sample use by other artists, or any other commercial purpose. Your master is protected under copyright in the UK for 70 years from the date of publication under the Duration of Copyright and Rights in Performances Regulations 1995. You do not need to register it anywhere for the copyright to exist; it is automatic upon creation and fixation of the recording.
What you cannot do: you cannot prevent the original songwriter from licensing the composition to another artist to record. If another act records the same song, your version is not infringed. Only your specific recording is protected. This means the commercial value of your master is tied to how distinctive and desirable your specific recording is, rather than any exclusivity over the material itself.
Register the master with PPL if you have not done so already. If your artist is signed to a label, check the contract to confirm who controls the master rights. On a standard UK record deal, the label typically owns the master for the duration of the agreement, with reversion clauses (usually tied to commercial availability and a minimum period, often 20 to 25 years) governing when rights return to the artist.
Troubleshooting — The Three Things That Go Wrong
The cover gets claimed or taken down on streaming platforms. This usually means the aggregator's licensing process failed, the composition was not correctly identified, or the track was uploaded without a licence at all. If you used a built-in aggregator tool and the claim still appeared, contact the aggregator's support immediately with your licence documentation. If you went through MCPS or Easy Song Licensing directly, provide the licence number and the rights holder's details to the platform's dispute process. Do not simply re-upload the track without resolving the underlying issue; it will be claimed again.
MCPS cannot find the song in their system. This happens with older catalogue, obscure works, or songs whose publishing has been reassigned. If PRS/MCPS cannot locate the composition, try searching the original publisher's catalogue directly, or use a rights research service. If the work is genuinely unregistered or the rights holder is untraceable, do not assume it is free to use. Speak to a music lawyer before proceeding. Works in the public domain, which in the UK means the songwriter died more than 70 years ago, are a different matter and require no mechanical licence for the composition, though you still own and control your own master.
Your physical pressing is complete but the MCPS licence was not obtained first. You cannot retrospectively licence a pressing that has already been manufactured as cleanly as you could have done it beforehand, but you can and must still apply for the licence and pay the royalties owed based on the quantity pressed. Contact MCPS, declare the pressing, and settle the royalty immediately. Do not distribute the physical copies until this is resolved. Distributing an unlicensed pressing compounds the liability.
What to Do Next Once the Release Is Live
The paperwork does not stop when the track goes up. Once your cover song is live and licensed correctly, there are three actions to take immediately.
First, register the master recording with PPL if you have not already done so. Include the release ISRC, the format, the label or artist name as rights holder, and the release date. PPL will begin tracking public performance and broadcast uses of your recording and paying out the master owner's share of performance royalties accordingly.
Second, if your artist has an existing PRS membership, log in and confirm that any original compositions in the same release, for example a B-side or a flipside on a vinyl single, are correctly registered. Cover songs themselves are not registered by you with PRS; the original songwriter's entry covers that. But any original material released alongside the cover needs to be registered to collect its own performance royalties.
Third, document your licence. Save the licence confirmation, the licence number, the rights holder details, and any correspondence with MCPS or your aggregator's licensing platform. If the track is claimed six months from now, you need that documentation available immediately, not buried in an old inbox. A shared folder with your management team or label, clearly labelled by release, is not a sophisticated system but it is the one that actually gets used when you are under time pressure.
If you are planning future cover releases, the process you have just followed is repeatable. The licence for each song is song-specific and format-specific; you cannot reuse a licence from one cover to apply to another. Build the licensing step into your release checklist from the start of the project, not the week before the release date.