Who Gets Paid When You Release a Cover Song?
When a cover streams, two royalty streams flow simultaneously. The original songwriter and their publisher receive the mechanical royalty you paid to license the composition, plus performance royalties when the song is played. You, the performer, own your recording and earn the master recording royalties on your version. Both parties earn at the same time from the same stream.
Key takeaways
- When a cover streams, both the original songwriter and you get paid, from the same stream, via two separate royalty channels.
- The mechanical royalty you paid for the license flows to the songwriter and publisher. They also earn performance royalties on the composition.
- You own your recording (the master) and earn the master recording royalties when your version streams.
- The original performing artist earns nothing from your cover unless they also wrote the song. Performing and writing are different rights.
- If you recorded the cover with collaborators, document your master splits before release. The composition side is handled by the mechanical license.
Two royalty streams, one song, the same play
Every time a cover song streams, two separate royalty payments are triggered from that single play. This confuses a lot of artists, partly because both flows come from the same listener pressing play and partly because the money routes to different people through different channels.
The first flow is the composition royalty. When you got the mechanical license for your cover, you paid to use the underlying song. That money goes to the songwriter and their publisher. On top of that, every time the cover is streamed or performed publicly, performance royalties are collected by PROs (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and SOCAN in Canada) and paid out to the songwriter and publisher as well. They earn on the song, regardless of whose recording is being played.
The second flow is the master recording royalty. You performed, you recorded, and the resulting audio file is a new master recording that you own. When your version streams, Spotify pays your distributor the recording royalties. Your distributor passes that to you based on your agreement with them, minus their fee.
The songwriter earns on the song. You earn on your recording of it. Both happen from the same stream.
For a deeper look at how master and composition royalties are structured in general, the Spotify royalties guide covers how streamshare works, and the master splits vs publishing splits guide goes into the structural difference between the two sides in detail. This page focuses on how that applies specifically to a cover. For the cover-song licensing rules behind these payment flows, start with the cover songs and sampling overview.
What the original artist actually earns
Here’s a distinction that matters more than people realize: the original performing artist and the original songwriter are not always the same person.
When you cover a song, the royalties flow to whoever holds the composition rights. If the original artist wrote their own material, they’re the songwriter and they receive the mechanical and performance royalties on the composition. If the original artist was a performer covering someone else’s song, or if they co-wrote with other people, the rights are held by whoever actually wrote the song and their publisher.
A session musician who played on the original recording? No claim on your cover. A topliner who wrote the hook? Probably a claim, depending on how much of what you’re covering is their work. A featured artist who performed but didn’t write? No claim.
| Original songwriter / publisher | You (cover performer) | |
|---|---|---|
| What they own | The composition: melody, lyrics, musical structure. | Your master recording: the audio file of your version. |
| Mechanical royalty | Receives it, paid via the license you obtained before release. | Paid it as part of the mechanical license fee. |
| Performance royalty (streaming) | Receives composition performance royalties via PROs (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, SOCAN). | Receives master recording royalties via your distributor. |
| YouTube revenue | Content ID typically claims the composition for the publisher, routing ad revenue to them. | Depends on your sync arrangement. Without a sync license, the publisher may claim revenue. |
| Who controls release | Cannot block an audio cover under the compulsory license. | Controls the master recording and decides where to distribute it. |
Your recording: what you own and what you earn
The master recording you made is yours. That means the recording royalties from streaming flow to you via your distributor, and you decide where and how the recording is released.
The split between what you earn and what flows to the songwriter is built into the streaming royalty structure. Streaming services roughly divide their music payouts between the master side (usually the larger share, flowing to the recording owner) and the publishing side (flowing to the composition rights holder). Your recording sits on the master side. The mechanical license you paid sits on the publishing side.
What that means in practice: you pay for the license upfront and cover the mechanical royalty, and then you earn the recording royalties on every stream going forward. The net position depends on how many streams the cover gets and what the mechanical license cost you.
One thing to be clear about: the mechanical royalty you paid for the license is separate from any ongoing per-stream royalty calculation. You paid to use the composition. The per-stream streaming royalties that come in afterward flow based on who owns what, not as a refund of what you paid.
Documenting your recording splits before release
The mechanical license handles the composition side. Your job is to document who owns the master recording, which is your version of the song.
If you recorded the cover yourself, you own the master entirely. If you recorded it with other musicians or a producer who contributed to the recording in a way that makes them a co-owner of the master, those percentages need to be in writing. This is separate from the original songwriter’s composition split, which is already on record through the licensing and PRO systems. Your recording split is a new document for a new recording.
Sign the recording split before the cover goes live. The same logic that applies to original songs applies here: once a track starts earning, the window to settle master ownership cleanly without leverage shifting is closed.
document your recording splits with the free royalty split sheet generator before the cover ships
Frequently asked questions
Does the original artist get money from my cover?+
The original artist gets money only if they also wrote the song. The royalties that flow from a cover go to the songwriter and publisher via the mechanical license you paid and through performance royalties collected by PROs. If the original artist wrote their own songs, they get those royalties. If they were a performer who didn't write the material, they don't have a claim on your cover. You earn the recording-side royalties from your own version.
Do I earn royalties when my cover song streams?+
Yes. You own your recording, which means you earn the master recording royalties when your version is streamed. Your distributor pays those out according to your agreement with them. The mechanical royalties on the composition go to the original songwriter, not to you. Both royalty streams flow from the same stream: master royalties to you, composition royalties to the songwriter.
Does a cover song go on a split sheet?+
A split sheet documents who owns the composition of a song. Since you didn't write the original, you don't have a composition split. The songwriter's ownership is already on record. What you do need to document is your master recording split, which is who among the people who recorded your cover owns what share of that recording. If you recorded solo, you own it entirely. If you recorded with collaborators, get those master splits in writing before release.
How do performance royalties work on a cover?+
Performance royalties on the composition are collected by PROs (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, SOCAN in Canada) when a song is publicly performed or broadcast, including via streaming. Those royalties flow to the original songwriter, not to you. Your recording also generates neighboring rights or performance royalties on the master side in some territories, paid through SoundExchange in the US or equivalent bodies elsewhere. Those flow to you and your record label or distributor.
What if I co-wrote an arrangement on a cover?+
Arranging a cover does not automatically give you a composition credit or royalty share. Under US law, an arrangement of a copyrighted work doesn't create a new copyrightable composition without the original copyright holder's permission. In practice, some artists negotiate arrangement credits on covers, but this is specific to the agreement with the publisher and not a default right. If you've genuinely contributed new composition elements, this is a conversation to have with the publisher as part of the clearance, not something that attaches automatically.
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Keep reading
Pillar guide
Covers & sampling guide
The core distinction: a cover is covered by a compulsory mechanical license, a sample needs two direct clearances that can be refused. What you can do freely and what you can't.
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Why sampling has no compulsory route: clearing the master and the composition directly, both refusable, and interpolation as the way to avoid the master clearance.
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Mechanical Royalties
Mechanical royalties are paid when your composition is reproduced, including every stream.
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