How Do Famous Youtubers That Cover Songs Record Their Covers

Can I earn money by doing cover songs on YouTube?

Yes, you can!Almost all the big record labels are part of YouTube's Content ID system, which is an algorithm that recognizes when people either use copyrighted material, or make new versions of copyrighted material, like cover songs.When your cover song is recognized by the system, YouTube will automatically split the ad revenue between you and the copyright owner in most cases.We recommend you to check to see if there are other cover versions available. You can also check YouTube's Music Policies page to see if they've already listed a copyright policy for the song you want to cover.If other people have covers up or the policy is up on YouTube's page, feel free to move forward and upload your cover song. The worst that can happen in most cases is that YouTube blocks it from playing in some countries.Do NOT upload it to Facebook. They don't have the same system that YouTube has, so you will get copyright strikes if you upload covers on there that get recognized.There’s one more way how you can promote your YouTube cover song videos - by posting them at Coverium - free cover songs social network and community. Watch this short video to learn more about benefits.

Can I use a cover song on YouTube for music in my video?

U.S. perspective:It is a little unclear if you are performing and recording this cover yourself, or if you are using an audio recording made by someone else. So let’s look at both.For audio recordings made by someone else, all audio recordings are protected by copyright. None have passed into public domain due to a quirk in U.S. copyright law. So you have to get permission, which means getting a license to use that song. You would do this by contacting the record publisher (or the artist directly, if you know them).“Background music” is not a use that fits under the rules of Fair Use. And uses that don’t make any money don’t have an exception under copyright law. Consider: internet piracy is “non-profit”, in that no one is making money from it. Totally illegal, though, right? When you make a free replacement for listening to the song, regardless of what else is in the video, you are infringing on the copyright of the audio track.Now, let’s say you are recording the music yourself. Perhaps this is you playing cover songs in order to teach guitar or something.Live performances of cover songs are done so under a license that the venue buys. All concert halls, clubs, theaters, and even outdoor performance venues, just buy a license that goes to one administrative body, who then pays the songwriters. Because of this compulsory license, it is easy and painless to perform for a live crowd, but still make sure the songwriter (who owns the copyright on the sheet music) gets their fair share.But once you record it, there are problems. In order to record a songwriter’s work you need a mechanical license. How do you get a mechanical/synchronized license for music from the recording company or a middleman? To then use that recording in any other media, such as a video, you also need a synchronization license. These is a non-trivial effort. And again, it doesn’t matter if you are distributing your video for free or not (although that might affect the price charged for the license). You need to get this license to use that music you recorded in video or film.About the only exception is recording a live performance on stage. You still need a mechanical license, but this is not consider a use that is “synchronization”. Music lessons, a music video, or something else that is not documentation of a live performance all require this license, though.

How do I upload cover songs legally on YouTube?

Currently, nearly all the big record labels are part of YouTube’s “Content ID” system, which is an algorithm that recognizes when people either (a) use copyrighted material, or (b) make new versions of copyrighted material, like cover songs. When your cover song is recognized by the system, YouTube will automatically split the ad revenue between you and the copyright owner in most cases. People rarely get in serious trouble these days for cover songs … the most that has ever happened on my “SoulGook Music” channel is that they blocked the song from playing in a certain country, but I wasn’t punished for making it.If you want to be careful, check to see if there are other cover versions available. You can also check YouTube’s Music Policies page to see if they’ve already listed a copyright policy for the song you want to cover. Generally speaking, if other people have covers up or the policy is up on YouTube’s page, upload away! As I said, the worst that can happen in most cases is that YouTube blocks it from playing somewhere.Do NOT upload it to Facebook. They haven’t negotiated the same deals that YouTube has, so you will get copyright strikes if you upload covers on there that get recognized. I was banned from both my personal feed and official Facebook page for three days just because I uploaded 20–30 second teasers of my YouTube videos.If you REALLY want to cover your bases, you can create your song and then have it officially licensed through a company like CDBaby. For about $15, they’ll do all the licensing work for your song (on top of the ~$15 you already pay for any songs you distribute through them). This includes uploading it to recognition systems like Content ID as well as distributing it for sale through Google Play, iTunes, etc.That should cover it for the basics. I’ve been documenting my run-ins with YouTube copyright in a blog series, so check that out if you’re interested!

Do I need permission to record a cover song?

If you perform a cover song, at a live venue, there is no problem whatsoever. The venue is required to have the right license for music to be performed and for the songwriter(s) to get compensated.If you record a cover song, you have just entered a legal quagmire. This cannot be done without a license from the copyright holder (usually the songwriter), or you are in copyright infringement. Now, that said, it is a pretty painless process to get a mechanical license in order to make this recording. Note that getting a mechanical license is actually a compulsory licensing system. If the rights holder has the song registered with BMI (or whoever), they cannot deny permission to specific people. You pay the fee, you get the license.If you want to add that cover song to a video of some kind, such as the typical music video, then you are now talking about a synchronization license, and those are only offered on a per-project, individually negotiated basis. For that, you are basically needing an entertainment lawyer to get you the needed license.The exception is when you are just recording a live performance on video, in which case you are back to a mechanical license.For how to get a mechanical license: Which is the best way to gain a music mechanical copyright license?

Is it legal for me to post a piano cover of a song on YouTube?

These answers all appear to be written by people with zero music industry experience. As a music producer and songwriter with major label credits, as well as a lot of work with some YouTube cover artists… the short answer is yes, it'll be fine.Technically, you do need a license to record a cover of a song, but if you're recording a song which has already been recorded (which is what a cover is), then it's called a compulsory license - that means they can't deny you. The license requires you to pay the publisher approximately $0.09 per sale of the recording.Now… since sales of recordings aren't really a thing anymore, it doesn't matter. And you aren't monetizing anyway, so it REALLY doesn't matter. Record the song, post it on YouTube, and carry on with your life.

How can I get famous on YouTube through singing in India?

Hey. It is true that pretty much everyone is on YouTube posting covers and making videos and vlogs and so on.However, this trend is a little slow to spread in India and therefore, this audience (Indians) hasn't been capitalized on completely yet. Therefore, if you plan to become famous or get noticed on YouTube for making song cover, then just follow some of these steps:Post Regularly: In the start it is hard to become famous or get instantly noticed. So you should work on small things that could bring greater benefits in the long run. Be regular with your covers and post on a specific day every week (if you plan to make it a weekly thing).Share links on social media: When starting out, it s going to be your friends and family that will actually be your first viewers and subscribers. So share the links to your videos on Facebook or put it in your Instagram bio (website section) so that your friends and followers can check your music out and subscribe. Ask them to share the links on their social media platforms too as it really helps. (It helped me in a great way)Keep it short but strong: The engagement of viewers is very low so good content stretching over a period of not more than 3 minutes really helps. Moreover, the quality of the video and sound should also be good in order to make that good first impression and make people hit the ‘Subscribe’ button.Use Tags wisely: For every video you post, do not forget to add the 30 tags that you are allowed to put before posting your video. These are keywords that would direct people to your channel if searched for. Use them wisely and add proper details of your songs, the name of the artist, the movie in which it came etc.DO NOT LOSE HOPE: Last but not least, please do not lose hope. It is hard to get noticed in the start or get views and subscribers. Many actually lose hope and leave their channel midway. I did that last year since I felt I was getting less views. However, I revived my channel 2 weeks ago and began posting videos again- iisaroush and have been getting a steady stream of views. I don’t make music however, just life experiences. But you need to make sure you are realistic and must be happy with a few hundred views in the beginning.I really wish you all the very best and hope you become a successful YouTuber.

How do YouTube musicians obtain permission to cover a song?

No you don’t. I am a living example.Here is my channel: AnimePianoAngelI cover mainly anime songs btw. There are many of us. Probably around hundreds of channel/people covering anime songs on piano alone. You do not need permission to upload piano covers. From my experience, if you don’t place ads, no one cares. If you do, only a very small number of them may be claimed by the original creator. If you are asking whether the video will stay on YouTube. Yes, it will.A rule though, don’t play over the original music. This increases the chance for your video to be taken down dramatically.If let’s say you want to place some of the music video or film clips from original sources over your cover, you can but again increases risk for your video to be claim by the original artist.As for making money out of YouTube as a cover artist?Yes you can. I know some artists earning around $2,000–5,000 a month from YouTube ads alone. You need about 1–2 million views per a month or video to turn YouTube into full time career. Perferably have around 1 million subscriber. Yes that should be your target.You can use other method to earn money too. You can distribute cover song tracks into itunes, google play, Spotify and many more by using distrokid or sound drop. Yes you can sell them.Musicians: Use DistroKid to upload your music to iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and Google Play-use if you are a constant and large artist-charge $20 for unlimited upload of covers for distribution in iTunes and other stores per a yearOrSoundrop Distribution-use if you only distribute occasionally and small artists-they take 15% royalty for all sells-no start up fee.AND use Patreon, where you can get constant income per month/per video by your subscribers.Best way for artists and creators to get sustainable income and connect with fans | PatreonAll this relies on one thing. Subscribers and how much they can engage to your music. Building them up should be your biggest priority if you want to make cover music on YouTube into your career. Admittedly, it’s hard. Unless you are the best of the best, it’s really hard. Out of the hundreds of anime pianist, I was talking about, probably only around 4–5 have the ability to sustain themselves with YouTube. So there you go not impossible but hard.Oh as for a medium size channel, like mine 1.5k subscriber or even for 10k subscribers, you won’t earn enough money to sustain your self. Full stop. You need a million sub or stable views per a month. Yes, it’s that cruel.