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Thanks for your comment, Richard. The first thing to understand about music licensing is that it's territory specific. Therefore, we can only comment on the use of cover songs in the United States. Recording and distributing a cover song in Ireland or elsewhere will be subject to the copyright laws and licensing regimes of that territory. That said, when releasing a cover song in the US on digital streaming platforms (DSPs) such as Spotify and Apple Music, you do not need to obtain a cover song license because all major DSPs operate under the blank digital audio mechanical license in the US. DSPs report the usage to The MLC, then we match the recording to the musical works registered in our database and payout associated mechanical royalties to the rights-holders pursuant to their royalty collection share. The cover artist (You) need not do anything other than include information about the original work at the time of setting up your release with your music distributor (where available). The above information is for interactive streaming in the US. When it comes to physical, such as a CD and vinyl, the laws of the territory from which the unit is distributed to the buyer applies. Therefore, you'll need to contact the mechanical rights organization with jurisdiction encompassing Ireland. If you were making and distributing CDs in the US, you would need to follow the requirements of the compulsory mechanical license or you can use Easy Song to facilitate the process for you.

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