Remixes, Covers & Licensing

What artists must clear before submission

Label Workflow

Release Process

What Legless Records does, what the label does not do, artist naming, timelines, promotion, assets, and communication expectations.

Beatport, Spotify & Apple

Artist Profiles & DSPs

How artist pages are created, what artists need to do after release, and how duplicate-name/profile issues are handled.

Rights & Permissions

Remixes, Covers & Licensing

The difference between a remix and a cover version, and what permissions must be in place before submitting either.

Submission Rules

Unreleased Material Policy

What Legless Records means by unreleased material, what disqualifies a submission, and what artists must confirm before sending music.

Legless Records is happy to consider remixes, but only where the artist already has the correct permissions and licensing in place before submission.

This is extremely important.

A lot of artists wrongly assume that any version of an existing song can be cleared with a simple mechanical licence.

That is not correct.

This is not just a U.S. issue.

if you are creating a remix, rework, edit, arrangement, or other altered version of someone else’s song, you may need direct permission.

What is the difference between a cover version and a remix?

A cover version is generally a brand new recording of an existing song, where the artist records the song themselves without using the original master recording and without materially changing the basic melody or fundamental character of the composition.

A remix is different.

A remix usually involves one or both of the following:

use of the original sound recording, stems, acapella, instrumental, or other master audio
creation of an adaptation or derivative version of the underlying composition by materially reworking, transforming, arranging, or altering the original song

In simple terms:

A cover version is usually a new recording of the same song.

A remix is usually a reworked or altered version of an existing recording and / or composition.

What is a derivative version?

A derivative version is a new version of an existing song that changes, reworks, or adapts the original in a more substantial way than a normal cover version.

In simple terms:

if you are not just recording the song again, but are actually reshaping it, reworking it, or turning it into something noticeably different, it may be a derivative version.

Examples can include:

heavily rewriting the structure
changing the melody in a major way
changing or rewriting lyrics
turning the song into a remix or rework rather than a straightforward cover
building a new version that is clearly based on the original song but goes beyond simply performing it again

A normal cover version is usually just a new recording of the same song.

A derivative version goes further and changes the underlying work itself in a more meaningful way.

That is why derivative versions often need direct permission, rather than just a standard mechanical licence.

Re-recording parts yourself does not automatically make it clear

Some artists assume that if they do not use the original audio file, and instead replay or re-record the musical parts themselves, they no longer need permission.

That is not automatically true.

Re-recording a part yourself may avoid using the original master recording, but it does not remove the underlying composition rights.

If you are closely recreating recognisable parts of the original song, you are still dealing with someone else’s musical work.

If the result is more than a straightforward cover version, and is instead being treated as a remix, rework, edit, arrangement, or adaptation, direct permission may still be required.

In simple terms:

changing the sound is not the same thing as clearing the rights.

Why this matters under Irish and international copyright rules

Under Irish copyright law, the copyright owner has the exclusive right to authorise copying, making the work available to the public, and making an adaptation of the work.

Irish law also states that, for a musical work, an adaptation includes:

a translation
an arrangement
an alteration
a transcription

Internationally, the Berne Convention also gives authors the exclusive right to authorise adaptations, arrangements and other alterations of their works.

In simple terms:

if you are adapting, arranging, altering, or reworking someone else’s song, you may be dealing with rights that go beyond a simple cover version.

Important distinction

Simply calling something a “remix” does not automatically determine the legal position.

What matters is the substance of what has been done.

Likewise, re-singing the vocals or replaying musical parts does not automatically mean the track is cleared by a mechanical licence alone.

If the new version goes beyond a straightforward cover and becomes an arrangement, alteration, adaptation, or derivative version, direct permission is normally required.

When a mechanical licence may be enough for a cover version

A standard mechanical licence is generally associated with a straightforward cover version of a composition.

That usually means:

no use of the original master recording
no use of original stems or acapellas
no material rewrite of the song
no substantial reworking of melody / lyrics / character
the song remains a normal cover version rather than a remix or adaptation

If that is genuinely the case, a cover / mechanical licensing route may be appropriate.

When a mechanical licence is not enough

A mechanical licence is not a blanket permission for remixes.

If the track is being presented or created as a remix, rework, arrangement, adaptation, or transformed version of the original work, a simple mechanical licence may not be enough.

This is especially true where the artist is:

using original stems, acapellas, instrumentals, or any part of the existing master recording
changing the song beyond a straightforward cover treatment
materially altering lyrics, melody, structure, or character
creating a derivative version rather than a normal cover recording

In those cases, direct permission is normally required.

What permissions are usually needed for a remix?

Depending on what has been used, the artist may need permission for both:

the underlying musical composition
the sound recording / master recording

That can mean approval from:

the publisher / songwriter side for the composition
the label / master owner side for the recording or stems

If original audio, stems, acapellas, instrumentals, or any part of the original master recording are being used, master permission is usually required.

If the composition itself is being adapted, arranged, altered, or transformed beyond what would be allowed for a simple cover version, composition-side permission is also usually required.

Proof of permission

Artists should also be prepared to provide proof that the relevant permissions are in place if Legless Records asks for it.

This may include things like:

written permission from the copyright owner
written permission from the publisher
written permission from the label or master owner
licence documents or other supporting clearance evidence

This is not about making things difficult. It is simply part of making sure that any remix or rework is properly cleared before release.

If permission cannot be confirmed where needed, Legless Records may decide not to move forward with the track.

Legless Records policy on remixes

If you are submitting a remix, bootleg, edit, rework, arrangement, adaptation, or derivative version of an existing song, you must already have the relevant permissions in place before submission.

That means, where applicable:

permission for the composition
permission for the original master / stems
permission for any arrangement, adaptation, alteration, or derivative use of the original work

If you do not already have those permissions in place, do not submit the track.

Legless Records will not assume that a remix is cleared simply because an artist says they have permission.