How to License a Cover Song

CDBaby Podcast: #091 Scott Sellwood – How to License a Cover Song

http://cdbabypodcast.com/?p=810


http://www.rightsflow.com

Scott Sellwood: in house lawyer

Clears mechanical licenses/pays mechanical royalties

Mechanical License: license from songwriter to record/sell their song.

$.091 per song (CD, iTunes)

Royalty Rates for streaming: still sketchy. Working on it.

Limelight?

Pandora, Most podcasts are considered non-interactive (so no mechanicals required). Interactive means listener can intentionally click on a song and listen to it.

Request: 45 days prior to releasing a song.

In other countries, iTunes does automatically. Harder in U.S. b/c iTunes opted to put responsibility on artist/label.

Downloads: go to Rightsflow and pre-pay what you THINK you will sell. If you say 100 and sell more, you can go back and re-license. You can overshoot and say 1000, etc. You risk overpaying but you don’t have to worry about it for a while. DOESN’T expire through Limelight service.

Ringtone Separate: $.24/song mechanical!

Alex Holtz: can contact rightsflow directly for info and will help!

*DIFFERENT from performance royalties… get registered w/ SoundExchange!


PUBLIC DOMAIN: (over 100 years old?)

www.pdinfo.com

FREE GIVEAWAYS: you still need to pay the full mechanical.