Services

Mechanical licensing, end to end

Six services that work together: we find the owners, choose the right license, pay what is owed and give your distributor the proof — for one song or an entire catalog.

Cover song licensing

Audio-only licenses for new recordings of previously released songs, in the formats you plan to sell or stream.

A cover is your recording of someone else’s song. You own the recording; the composition still belongs to its writers and publishers. A mechanical license is what lets you reproduce and distribute it.

We license each song for the formats you actually plan to use — CD, vinyl and cassette, permanent downloads and streaming — and for the quantities and territories on your release plan.

Rights research

We identify the writers, publishers and administrators behind each composition and confirm their shares before anything is filed.

Most licensing problems start with the wrong owner or an incomplete split. Before we request anything, we establish who controls each composition, in what percentage, and who administers it in each territory.

We also confirm the song has been released before with the owner’s authorization — a condition of the U.S. compulsory license — and flag works that need a different route.

Notices & direct licenses

Notices of Intention for U.S. physical releases, voluntary licenses from publishers and custom permissions when the standard route doesn’t apply.

For U.S. physical products, a Notice of Intention must reach the copyright owner before — or within 30 days after — the recording is made, and before any copies are distributed. We prepare and serve it on time.

Where a voluntary license from the publisher or its agent is the better option, we negotiate it. Changed lyrics, translations, medleys and first releases need the owner’s direct approval; we request it and tell you plainly if it is declined.

Royalty calculation & payment

Royalties calculated at the rate in effect for each format and year, paid to rights holders on schedule and documented line by line.

Statutory mechanical rates change every January and longer recordings are paid by the minute. We calculate what is owed per song, per format and per unit, and show you the math before you approve.

Once approved, we pay the rights holders, keep the payment records and issue statements you can reconcile against your own sales.

International clearance

Outside the U.S. there is no single compulsory license. We route each request to the publisher or national society for the territories you need.

A standard U.S. cover license authorizes U.S. distribution only. For a worldwide release, mechanical rights are licensed territory by territory — through publishers and national societies such as MCPS in the U.K., CMRRA in Canada, SDRM in France, GEMA in Germany or JASRAC in Japan.

We map your release plan to the territories you can actually clear, and tell you which ones to restrict in your distributor’s settings until a license is in place.

Distributor-ready documentation

License IDs, publisher names as licensed, songwriter credits and permitted territories — packaged the way distributors ask for them.

Distributors increasingly ask for proof of license at upload: the license ID and provider, the publisher exactly as licensed, the original songwriters and the territories allowed.

You receive all of it in one document per release, plus the exact credit and title format to enter, so the upload form matches the license.

Formats

Licensed for the way your music is actually sold

  • Physical

    CD, vinyl and cassette runs, priced per unit at the statutory or negotiated rate.

  • Permanent downloads

    Download stores and download-to-own bundles, including individual download licenses.

  • Interactive streaming

    Coverage your distributor requires for streaming releases, and territory licenses outside the U.S.

  • Custom uses

    Lyric changes, translations, medleys and first uses, cleared directly with the owners.

When the standard license isn’t enough

A standard mechanical license allows an arrangement in your own style, but not a change to the basic melody or the fundamental character of the work. Anything beyond that is a request to the owner, who can say no.

We prepare those requests with what publishers need to decide quickly — the recording, the new lyrics or translation, the release plan — and keep you informed until there is an answer.

Custom permission (lyrics, translation, medley)
Audience facing a brightly lit concert stage

Planning a release? Clear it before it ships.

Send us the track list. We reply with what we need, the route for each song and a quote — before anything is filed.

Start a license requestTalk to our team

Privacy policy

Last updated October 21, 2026

What we collect

When you use the contact form we receive the details you enter: your name, email address, company or artist name, artist profile and social links, the client who referred you, your role, the type of request, an approximate number of songs and your message. We also receive the technical data any web server records, such as your IP address and browser type, which we keep in server logs for security.

How we use it

We use your details only to handle your request — including confirming your referral with the client you name — and, if you become a client, to provide our services. We do not sell your information and we do not use it for advertising.

Cookies and tracking

This site does not use advertising or analytics cookies and does not track you across other websites.

Sharing

When we license music on your behalf, we share the release details needed for that license with the relevant rights holders, administrators and collecting societies. We use service providers to host this site and deliver email, under confidentiality obligations.

Retention and your rights

We keep inquiry messages for as long as needed to handle them and to keep business records. You can ask us to access, correct or delete your information through the contact form.

Terms of use

Last updated October 21, 2026

Information only

The content of this site is general information about music licensing. It is not legal advice and does not create a client relationship. Licensing rules and statutory rates change; confirm the current position for your release.

No guaranteed outcomes

Rights holders decide whether to grant permissions that fall outside the compulsory license. Timeframes on this site are typical, not guaranteed. The terms of any engagement are set out in our quote and client agreement.

Trademarks

Names and logos of music platforms, societies and other companies are the trademarks of their respective owners. They are shown for identification only and do not imply endorsement, affiliation or partnership.

Use of the site

You may not misuse this site, attempt to access accounts or systems without authorization, or send automated requests to its forms.