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A man is playing a double bass. A man is playing a double bass.

Covers and derivative works basics


1 min read


What are covers and derivative works?

Covers and derivative works are a diverse range of musical creations based on existing works.

Making and can be a way to pay tribute to your favorite , put your own spin on a classic , or grow your fanbase. But any time you want to use another creator’s work, a host of permissions and considerations are necessary to ensure you’re using the work correctly and not infringing on the rights of any of the or .

There are many ways to use another creator’s work, but these days, some of the most common are:

  • Covering an existing musical work by recording your own performance of it

  • Remixing an existing sound recording

  • Sampling an existing sound recording

  • Creating a DJ mix of one or many existing sound recordings

  • Creating a translation of an existing musical work

We’ve got a lot more information on these in this topic so keep reading.

Image credit: Martin Dam Kristensen