We get a lot of questions about mechanical rights. You need different rights to arrange, perform and distribute recordings of copyrighted songs (generally anything published after 1923). Our friends at EasySongLicensing.com have provided us with this helpful introductory guide to explain mechanical rights – the rights to distribute audio-only recordings.
What is a mechanical license?
Whenever you record a song you did not write in the first place and want to distribute an audio-only product such as CDs, vinyl, digital downloads or interactive audio streaming, you will need to secure a mechanical song license to legally distribute (regardless of intent to sell, give away or promote). This is made possible by contacting the song‘s copyright holder(s), following the correct filing and registration steps, while paying the proper royalties owed for each music media format you are planning to release. EasySongLicensing.com provides the most efficient and affordable path to accomplish this quickly with expert guidance every step of the way.
Take Note 