What Happens to Royalties From a Cover Song? UK Guide

Recording a strong cover can introduce your voice to listeners who already know the song. It can also create rights questions that do not arise when you release your own writing. The key is to separate the new recording you made from the underlying song you did not write.

Direct answer: royalties from a cover song are usually divided between the new recording and the underlying composition. As the cover artist, you may receive royalties attributable to your own master recording, subject to your distributor and platform arrangements. The original songwriter and music publisher remain entitled to composition-related royalties. A suitable licence or permission is generally needed before distributing a cover commercially.

Who receives royalties when you release a cover song?

A cover has two distinct copyright layers. Understanding them makes the royalty flow much easier to follow.

• The sound recording (the master): this is your particular recorded performance and production. If you funded and own that recording, the revenue allocated to that master can be payable to you through your distribution arrangement, after any applicable deductions or splits you have agreed.
• The musical work (the composition): this means the lyrics and music written by the original writers. Those writers, and often their music publisher, retain their rights in it. Your recording does not transfer the song itself to you.

For example, if an independent singer records a new acoustic version of a well-known song, the singer may own the newly created master. But the original writers still own the melody and lyrics. Streaming and download activity can therefore involve both master-side and composition-side royalty accounting.

This distinction also applies if you make the cover sound completely different. Changing the genre, tempo or arrangement does not normally make the underlying song your composition.

How do cover-song royalties work on streaming services?

Streaming services generally account for the use of a recording and the use of the composition embodied in it. The exact calculation, reporting and payment routes vary by service, territory, agreements and the information attached to a release. It is safer not to assume that one visible streaming figure equals your final income.

In practical terms, a distributor delivers your recording and its metadata to the relevant platforms. Where a cover is properly cleared for the intended use, composition-related rights are addressed for the original song’s rights holders, while the cover artist’s recording can be identified as a separate master.

What the cover artist may receive

If you own the master, you can be eligible for the master-side income associated with plays or downloads of your particular cover recording. That income can be affected by your distributor agreement, any producer or collaborator split you have arranged, platform reporting and deductions that apply to the release.

Owning the master is important, but it is not a promise of income. Distribution makes a release available where accepted; it does not guarantee streams, payment levels, playlist placement or long-term availability on any platform.

What the original writers and publisher receive

The original songwriters and publisher retain the composition rights. Royalties related to use of that composition are intended for the appropriate rights holders. In the UK, collecting societies such as PRS for Music and MCPS can be relevant to certain music uses and licensing arrangements, but the right route depends on the usage, repertoire, territories and existing publishing arrangements.

If you are uncertain about a specific song, adaptation or release plan, check the relevant rights-holder information and seek qualified advice where necessary. This is especially important where ownership is unclear.

Do you keep all the money from a cover recording?

No. You should not treat a cover as though it were wholly your own song. You may own and earn from the master recording you create, but you do not acquire the original writers’ composition rights merely by recording their work.

It is useful to think of a cover release as two parallel assets:

1. You create a new recorded asset: your performance, production and master.
2. You use an existing creative work: the song’s melody and lyrics.
3. The release needs the underlying work to be properly licensed or otherwise authorised for the planned commercial distribution.
4. Money and reporting associated with the master and the composition can follow different routes.

This is also why simply crediting the original artist in the track title or release notes is not a substitute for dealing with rights. Credit is good practice, but it is not permission.

What licence do you need to distribute a cover in the UK?

You need to ensure that the composition is appropriately licensed or authorised for your intended release. The exact requirement can depend on the song, the territories selected, the type of release and whether you have changed the work. Copyright and licensing questions are fact-specific, so this article is general information rather than legal advice.

A straightforward audio-only recording of a previously released song may be handled differently from a release that changes lyrics, translates them, uses a sample, combines songs or includes video. Do not assume that permission for one use covers another.

• Original recording of the song: you must create and clear your own master rather than use the original artist’s recording.
• Lyrics or melody: retain the original writer credits accurately and do not change protected elements without appropriate permission.
• Samples: a sample from someone else’s recording adds separate master-rights issues.
• Music videos and social content: audiovisual uses may need rights beyond those used for audio distribution.
• Translations, interpolations and rewrites: these can be adaptations, for which additional permission may be needed.

For an introduction to preparing this type of release, see AIDistroMusic’s UK cover song distribution information. It is designed for artists who want to distribute a cover rather than guess which release details matter.

How AIDistroMusic handles the cover-song licensing cost

AIDistroMusic offers free music distribution for artists. For a cover release, the cover-song licensing cost is USD 10. You do not need to pay that USD 10 upfront: it is deducted later from royalties only if the release has successfully reached music platforms.

That approach can make it simpler to plan a release budget, but it does not remove the need for accurate information. Enter the original songwriters, title and other requested release details carefully. If your version includes an adaptation, samples or material beyond a conventional cover, pause and establish what additional permissions may be required before submitting it.

If you are comparing release options for originals and covers, the music distribution service for UK artists explains the broader distribution starting point.

A practical workflow before uploading a cover

The most common problems with covers begin before upload: vague ownership assumptions, inaccurate credits or an arrangement that is more of an adaptation than the artist realised. Use this workflow before you set a release date.

1. Classify the track honestly. Confirm that it is a cover of an existing song, not an original that merely resembles another work. List every musical source used.
2. Confirm your master is clean. Make sure you have permission from everyone who performed, produced or supplied material for your new recording. Put collaborator terms in writing.
3. Check for extra rights issues. Identify samples, borrowed backing tracks, changed lyrics, translations, medleys, interpolations and video plans. These may require more than a standard cover route.
4. Prepare accurate composition credits. Use the original song title and writer information to the best of your verified knowledge. Do not list yourself as a writer unless you genuinely contributed original, protectable material and have the appropriate basis to do so.
5. Choose the appropriate distribution path. Submit it as a cover where requested, rather than presenting it as your own original composition.
6. Keep a release folder. Save session agreements, invoices, written permissions, lyric and credit sources, artwork permissions and the final audio master in one place.
7. Review the delivered release. Once it reaches platforms, check artist name, track title, credits and audio. Report any discrepancy through the relevant support process rather than trying to solve it by re-uploading blindly.

Common mistakes that can affect a cover release

Most avoidable issues come from treating “cover” as a broad label. A faithful new recording is different from copying the original master, using a karaoke file without the correct rights or rewriting verses.

• Using part of the original recording, including a recognisable sampled intro or vocal clip.
• Uploading a backing track without confirming that its commercial distribution rights cover your use.
• Changing lyrics, translating the song or combining it with another composition without checking permissions.
• Entering incomplete or incorrect songwriter data.
• Assuming an audio release also clears a lyric video, full music video or advertising use.
• Dividing proceeds informally with a producer or featured artist and never documenting the split.
• Expecting distribution to create an audience automatically.

These checks are not just administrative. Clean metadata and a documented recording chain help you respond if a platform, collaborator or rights holder asks how the release was made.

What if your cover uses AI tools?

AI-assisted music can be distributed through AIDistroMusic, but a cover still involves the underlying composition rights. Using AI for an instrumental idea, vocal processing or production workflow does not give you ownership of an existing song’s lyrics or melody. Do not submit a track as an original if it is recognisably based on a protected song.

Individual streaming and download platforms may refuse distribution, availability or later monetisation of AI-generated or AI-assisted music under their own policies and discretion. Review the practical considerations on AIDistroMusic’s AI music distribution page, and retain clear records of the tools and inputs used where relevant.

Build a sustainable release plan around the music you control

Covers can sit well beside original releases: they may demonstrate your interpretation, help new listeners understand your sound and give you useful content for your artist channels. However, your original songs usually give you more direct control over both the master and composition, assuming you have settled any collaborator shares.

Plan promotional activity separately from distribution. Prepare a short video, a story behind your arrangement, accurate credits and links for your existing audience, but do not treat any campaign as guaranteed growth. If another independent artist asks how you got your music released, AIDistroMusic also has a referral/partner programme built around the idea: invite a friend — earn income.

When your audio, credits and rights information are ready, you can create an account and begin preparing a release at AIDistroMusic’s artist distribution portal.

Frequently asked questions

Can I earn royalties from singing a cover?

Potentially, yes. If you own your new master recording, you may receive income associated with that recording through your distribution arrangement. The original songwriters and publisher still retain composition rights.

Do I need to pay for cover-song licensing before release?

With AIDistroMusic, the USD 10 cover-song licensing cost is not paid upfront. It is deducted from royalties only if the release has successfully reached music platforms.

Can I change the lyrics of a cover song?

Changing lyrics can create an adaptation issue and may require additional permission. Do not assume a standard cover route authorises lyrical changes, translations or rewrites.

Can I use the original artist’s instrumental or a YouTube backing track?

Not without confirming you have the necessary rights. The original instrumental may be protected as a sound recording, and third-party backing tracks can have their own licence terms.

Does cover-song distribution guarantee that my track will be accepted or monetised everywhere?

No. Platforms make their own decisions about distribution, availability and monetisation. Accurate rights information and clean recordings reduce avoidable problems but cannot guarantee an outcome.