You'll need to secure a mechanical license for any cover song you've recordedâa "cover" song is a song you didn't write or originally record yourself.Whether you're selling physical copies of CDs or releasing digital recordings on streaming platforms, a mechanical license protects you from accusations of copyright infringement. Under copyright law, if someone wants to record someone else's song and is willing to pay for the associated mechanical license, then the songwriter must grant that license.It's important to remember that a mechanical license only applies to audio recordings of someone else's music. A mechanical license won't apply if you release a video of someone else's song or if you're sampling some of the songwriter's original recording. A mechanical license strictly applies to your own audio recordings of songs written or performed by other people.