If you like to sing, covering songs is definitely a fun way to sharpen your skill and improve yourself, but have you ever thought of monetizing it? Many people wonder whether or not this can be done. In this blog post, we’ll discuss what you need to know about monetizing cover songs.
Can You Monetize Cover Songs Answered
the answer to this question is yes, you can monetize cover songs in certain ways.
Below are some ways cover songs can be monetized:
Singing at bars and clubs:
Many bands make some extra money by singing cover songs at bars and clubs. If you’re an awesome singer, it’s definitely possible to do this.
Covering Songs On Youtube:
Contrary to popular belief you can monetize cover songs on youtube, but you need to be careful. The thing is you can’t do every song possible. In order to do cover songs on YouTube the song needs to be eligible in the list of songs that allow revenue sharing. Click on this to search the song you want to cover.
Another thing you can do is find sites where you can buy the rights in order to do cover songs.
For example, go here to get a list of sites where you can legally purchase the rights of a cover song.
What Are The Downsides Of Covering Songs On Youtube?
The downsides to doing cover songs on YouTube is you really won’t make much money.
So Are Cover Songs On Youtube Worth it?
Creating cover songs for YouTube is definitely worth it. Here’s why. In most cases people are searching for the song you’re covering more than an original songs you’ve created.
This will give you the opportunity to get more traffic to your YouTube channel as a whole. You can switch back and forth from releasing a cover and an original cover back and forth in order to show off your talent and get people more familiar with your original music.
can you make money from cover songs on Spotify?
Yes, it is possible to put a song cover on Spotify as well and monetize it. For Spotify you can’t just get the license and upload straight to Spotify like you can for YouTube. You need to get a music distrbutor in order to release the song cover on Spotify along with the license.
Some distributors allow you to buy the license straight on their platform and some require you to buy the license from a separate site.
Some music distributors that allow you to buy the license on the platform are distrokid and Soundrop.
Choosing one of these will make things easier for you.
How About An Instrumental Cover (Piano, Guitar Etc.)
The rules to monetize an instrumental cover of a song goes by the same rules as a cover with lyrics. You can do it on YouTube and Spotify, but remember you cannot monetize just any song. You need to purchase a license in order to do this.
Is It Legal To Post a Cover On Youtube If You’re Not Monetizing?
Yes it is legal. You may get an email stating that you use copyrighted material in your video when you upload, but they are not forcing you to do anything. They are simply stating it’s copyrighted material.
Your channel as long as it’s not monetized should be fine.
Can You Post Cover Songs On TikTok and Instagram?
If you purchased the license and put it on YouTube, then you can also post it to Instagram and TikTok. If you haven’t purchased the license for your cover song it’s illegal to use it on these platforms.
How To Post Covers That Will Get Noticed
There are many ways you can post the covers to get noticed.
Be Yourself:
You don’t want to cover it just like the original artist you want to make it your own and add your style to the song. Why?
You want to show your talent and how you’re unique as an artist. This includes showing off the tone of your voice, range and other factors.
Pick the right Songs:
Pick Out Songs Where the hook is strong. People want to listen to songs where they feel the song will stay in their head.
You can also pick songs that are popular at the moment or songs by artists that already have a large following so more people will hear your cover and get more traffic on your channel.
Be Consistent:
this is probably the most important part. Instead of trying to make your work perfect. Try and be consistent instead. The only way you’re really going to get better is if you do.
People who want to start out in certain side hustles or ventures don’t get started at all because they think they have to do everything good right away.
If you go back and take a look at peoples first songs or first YouTube videos, you’ll see the difference of how much better they are now, then when they got started.
Get Good Equipment:
You need to make sure you have the right equipment to get started if you want your covers to get noticed. This includes having a good microphone and editing software so you can edit out mistakes or background noise.
A good camera is also a plus. But it’s not required.
If you don’t have a good mic, get started anyway and get a better mic when you have the funds. When your covers get more views and people start to notice them more, sponsors might reach out to you for endorsements for their products. Which will give you enough money to invest in new equipment.
Use Social Media:
Post the cover on your social media pages. This will help get more views and get people interested in your work. You can also use hashtags to try and get found easier.
There are a lot of different ways you can go about this, just make sure you’re posting content that is high quality and not just random videos that have no purpose or theme.
Remember To Have Fun:
You should be able to have fun with the covers you make, otherwise why are you doing it? Take your time and create something original that will get people talking.
Conclusion:
We hope this blog post helped you learn whether or not you can monetize cover songs. It is possible to monetize them, but be very careful when doing so.
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Take a look at our blog as whole if you’re interested in different ways to make money on the side.
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