Cover Songs (Harry Fox Licensing)
IMPORTANT: We are NOT the Harry Fox Agency. We discuss it here for your benefit. Please do not contact MusicBootCamp.com about Harry Fox issues. You may contact Harry Fox directly by following the links below if you have questions about performing someone else’s copyrighted material. We urge you to read the information below so that you will have an overview of how the process works. Thank you.
The Harry Fox Agency is a liaison between artists recording cover tunes and the respective copyright owners and publishers. What is the fist step in the proper handling of cover tunes? We’ll keep this as simple as possible. As long as you are planning to release your own original recording of someone else’s song and the arrangement hasn’t been substantially altered, the quickest and most efficient action is to contact Harry Fox! You see the Harry Fox Agency is dedicated to the task of helping artists pay the necessary mechanical license that is mandatory whenever you distribute your original recording of someone else’s copyrighted song. Click here for the current Statutory Royalty Rates currently required.
We recommend that you use the Online Form (credit card required) if you intend to make and distribute under 2500 recordings within the US. It can dramatically decrease the time it takes to get your mechanical license, which can really help if your are on an urgent timeline for CD replication. Most replication facilities (ours included) accept your emailed receipt from Harry Fox as proof that licensing has been secured and a printed copy of the email is often sufficient. Be aware that the traditional snail mail (paper) method of obtaining a license can take weeks to months. We highly recommend the faster, electronic method. If the online form link is not working, please notify us and then visit the main page of the Harry Fox Agency.
For the paper forms or for recordings of 2500 copies or more, go to the Mechanical License Request Form (PDF download). Remember this form is submitted via snail mail and processing can take a while, so make sure you give yourself ample breathing time!
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