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What are unofficial Mashups and why can't I distribute them?
What are unofficial Mashups and why can't I distribute them?
Updated over a week ago

An unofficial mashup is a song that mixes more than one song.

This includes recordings that are not the original songs, since mashups are not covers, they are derivative works.

To legally distribute a mashup you must acquire a derivative work license. This license must be granted by the publishers or composers of each original song. Without derivative work licenses, Random Sounds will not distribute your mashup.


Why do you need a license for a Mashup if it is a new recording?

As we mentioned in the article How to legally distribute covers?, two of the requirements for a recording to count as a cover are:

  1. Not a single word of the original song is modified.

  2. Do not modify the structure of the original song.

Mashups don't meet both requirements, which is why they are not covers, they are derivative works.

Read more:

📰 How to legally distribute Derivative Works?

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