What licenses do I need to remix a track?
To legally remix a track and distribute it, you need permission from the owners of both the sound recording and the underlying composition. First, you must obtain a master use license from the rights holder of the original recording, which is often a record label or the original artist. This allows you to use the original audio in your remix.
In addition to that, you’ll need a license for the underlying composition, known as a publishing or derivative work license, from the songwriter(s) or their publisher. Even if you don’t use any of the original audio and instead recreate the track from scratch, using the melody, lyrics, or arrangement still requires this license.
Remixing and releasing a track without securing these rights can lead to takedowns, loss of distribution access, or legal action.