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In the US, anyone can record and release a cover of a song that has already been released, without asking, as long as they get a mechanical licence and pay the writers the legal rate. Here is what that licence covers, what you must leave alone, why streaming and downloads are treated differently, and a pre-release checklist.
Artist rightsvia Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
Articles 18 to 22 of the EU's 2019 copyright directive give songwriters and performers a right to proportionate pay, a yearly report on what their work earned, a claim for more when a deal turns out lopsided, and a way to take back rights that sit unused. The rules are real, but each country wrote its own version, and most of it only works if you ask.
Artist rightsvia EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union
The US Copyright Claims Board lets you pursue an infringement claim of up to $30,000 online, without a lawyer, for a $100 filing fee. It only works if your song is registered (or at least applied for), the other side is in the US, and they choose not to opt out.
Artist rightsvia Copyright Claims Board
Two US judges ruled in June 2025 that training language models on books was fair use, but only on the records in front of them, and one said plainly that most such copying will likely be illegal. Music cases turn on market harm, and that is where songwriters and labels have a stronger hand than the authors did.
Artist rightsvia US District Court, N.D. California (via CourtListener RECAP)
In the US, a prompt on its own does not make you the author of what an AI generates. Lyrics, melodies, performances, edits and creative arrangement you made yourself can still be registered, as long as you claim your part and disclose the AI part on the form.
Artist rightsvia U.S. Copyright Office
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