Mechanical Licensing & Cover Song Addendum

Binding Rights Addendum

By distributing a sound recording of a musical composition you did not originally write or compose, you agree unconditionally to the terms set forth in this rights-management framework.

Represents the specific acoustic recording of your musical performance. This is the intellectual property you own and control as the recording artist or label.

Represents the underlying melody, chord progressions, lyrics, and arrangement created by the original songwriter(s) and administered by their music publishers.

2.1. Third-Party Licensing Facilitation (Agency Role)

DistroVibe acts solely as an intermediary to facilitate the acquisition of mechanical licenses through authorized third-party licensing providers (e.g., Easy Song Licensing). By selecting our cover song licensing add-on, you expressly authorize DistroVibe to submit your release metadata and remit payment to the third-party provider on your behalf.

2.2. No DistroVibe Liability (Third-Party Disclaimer)

The mechanical license constitutes a direct legal agreement between you and the third-party licensing provider. DistroVibe does not issue the license and makes no warranties regarding the approval, validity, or processing speed of such licenses. You agree to be bound by the Terms of Use of the respective third-party provider.

2.3. Non-Refundable Licensing Fees

Because DistroVibe pays the third-party provider immediately upon your request, all fees associated with the cover song licensing service are strictly non-refundable once the ingestion process has commenced, regardless of whether the third-party ultimately approves or rejects the license.

Major DSPs often operate under blanket statutory licenses administered by territory-specific MROs (such as MCPS in the United Kingdom, and The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) in the United States).

Regional blanket licenses generally cover interactive audio streams within that specific territory. Permanent digital downloads, physical pressing, and international territories without statutory schemes require independent mechanical licensing.

Original Publishing Metadata Conduit

If you wrote the composition yourself, it is classified as a "Controlled Composition." You grant DistroVibe the necessary rights to pass this composition metadata to DSPs and mechanical collection societies, ensuring your digital mechanical royalties can be properly accounted for and collected by the respective blanket license administrators globally.

Cover art must not impersonate the original artist or use their official logos, likeness, or photos without authorization. Artwork must not contain the words "Tribute to", "Cover of", or feature the original artist's name in any stylized font that implies association, sponsorship, or endorsement.

Track titles must never include the original artist's name (e.g. "Song Name (Original by Artist)"). Original songwriters must be credited exclusively in the designated Songwriter/Composer metadata fields.

Strict Clearance Warranty

You represent and warrant that all required mechanical permissions, licenses, and songwriter credits have been accurately secured. You agree to full financial liability for any damage, legal fee, solicitor costs, or withholding of royalties as liquidated damages resulting from copyright infringement claims or licensing defaults.