How to release a cover song legally: agreements, rights, and distribution

Recording a cover creates a new sound recording—your own master. The melody and lyrics still belong to the original songwriters or whoever holds their rights, often a publisher or label. Article 1229 of Russia’s Civil Code requires the rights holder’s permission to use a protected work; releasing it without charging listeners does not remove that requirement. This article explains the Russian legal context.

That is a task you can resolve, rather than a blanket ban on covers. Here is what you need to arrange and how to keep the paperwork manageable.

Article 1270 of Russia’s Civil Code lists ways a work can be used. Streaming falls within making it available to the public. A legal cover release therefore needs permission covering that particular use from the holders of the music and lyric rights.

• If you rerecord the song as written, obtain permission to use the composition and lyrics for recording and making the result available to the public.
• If you create a new arrangement, this is an adaptation under Article 1260, creating a derivative work. Obtain express adaptation permission as a separate contract provision.
• You do not need rights to the original performance if you do not use its recording. A newly performed cover uses the composition rather than someone else’s master. The original performer’s and recording producer’s related rights are not involved in that situation.

RAO, the Russian Authors’ Society, is a collective rights-management organization that collects remuneration for public performances, including concerts, and broadcasts such as radio and television. A songwriter’s membership does not by itself license your cover release on Spotify, Apple Music, or Yandex Music. The making-available right needed for that release requires clearance from the relevant rights holder, such as the songwriter or publisher.

Russia does not have the US-style compulsory mechanical licensing route, under which a qualifying use can be licensed on statutory terms. In the Russian framework discussed here, you need an agreement with the rights holder, who may decline.

1. Find the rights holder. Check streaming credits, collecting-society databases, and the publisher’s website. For independent songs, contacting the songwriter or their manager may be simplest. The original singer often does not own the composition rights.
2. Agree in writing. Usually this is a nonexclusive license covering permitted uses, territory, term, and payment or royalty share. It can be short, but must function as an agreement identifying the parties and terms, rather than casual correspondence alone.
3. Address adaptations expressly if you change the arrangement, tempo, structure, or translate the lyrics. Include an explicit adaptation-right provision.
4. Check whether the composition is in the public domain. The general Russian rule under Articles 1281–1282 is 70 years after the author’s death. Folk songs and classical works may fall into this category, but a particular arrangement or translation can have its own protected rights.

A screenshot saying “sure, go ahead” does not establish all the terms needed for a license. On its own, an informal message may fail to identify the contracting parties, define permitted uses, or provide a legally sufficient signature. Do not assume that screenshot will settle a dispute.

Use a written license, even a short one. A friendly agreement still needs clear written terms and signatures. Email can form part of this process if the exchange is structured as an agreement and properly identifies both parties, rather than simply asking whether they mind you recording their song.

The release form asks you to confirm that you have the necessary rights. The current form has no separate Cover field or license-document uploader. Ticking the confirmation does not replace an agreement or prove ownership.

A reviewer may request supporting material through support. Keep the signed agreement with the songwriter or publisher and documents covering any instrumental you use. Sufficient evidence depends on the particular chain of rights. DAW project files can show your work on a recording, but do not license someone else’s composition.

If the requested materials do not establish the necessary rights, the release may be returned for changes, withheld from delivery, or taken down following a substantiated rights-holder complaint.

Article 1301 of Russia’s Civil Code provides for compensation of ₽10,000–5 million per infringement, or twice the value of the usage rights, with the amount determined by a court. Any claim depends on the applicable version of the law and the case. A more immediate consequence is often a platform complaint: the release is taken down and accrued royalties may be frozen while the dispute is examined. Repeated violations can lead to the distributor blocking the account.

The impact goes beyond money. Losing platform trust and accumulated listening history can hurt more than spending time obtaining permission from a publisher in the first place.

Once the rights are cleared, the technical setup is straightforward:

• Use a title such as “Song title (Cover)” rather than presenting it as your own original composition.
• Credit the actual composers and lyricists.
• Keep the agreements and supporting documents covering the specific recording and release rights you need.
• Do not use parts of the original master, including an online backing track or studio-version samples, without separate permission. That involves recording rights in addition to the composition.

Despite the paperwork, covers can help people discover you. Listeners search for new interpretations of songs they love, then find your original tracks. Clearing the rights first is less costly than dealing with the consequences later.

You can upload a completed cover with cleared rights at creatormusic.ru. Our music copyright guide covers protecting your own work.

This article is for information only and is not legal advice. Consult an intellectual property lawyer if the situation is disputed or unclear.