Under the compulsory mechanical license, what must a cover artist do?

Under the compulsory mechanical license, what must a cover artist do?

• A. Notify the rights holder in advance.
• B. Allows recording a faithful cover without permission if royalties are paid.
• C. Allows sampling without permission.
• D. Applies only to live performances.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that a compulsory mechanical license lets a cover artist reproduce a previously released song in a new recording without asking the rights holder for permission, as long as royalties are paid. This is the essence of the compulsory license: you can record a faithful cover of a published song without obtaining explicit permission, but you must pay the statutory mechanical royalties to the songwriter/publisher through the appropriate licensing mechanism. This obligation to pay royalties is the trade-off for not needing prior consent. It applies to mechanical reproductions like CD presses and digital downloads or streams that involve the cover, and it does not authorize sampling or control live performances, which are governed by different licenses.

The main idea is that a compulsory mechanical license lets a cover artist reproduce a previously released song in a new recording without asking the rights holder for permission, as long as royalties are paid. This is the essence of the compulsory license: you can record a faithful cover of a published song without obtaining explicit permission, but you must pay the statutory mechanical royalties to the songwriter/publisher through the appropriate licensing mechanism. This obligation to pay royalties is the trade-off for not needing prior consent. It applies to mechanical reproductions like CD presses and digital downloads or streams that involve the cover, and it does not authorize sampling or control live performances, which are governed by different licenses.