Songwriters occupy a strange middle ground in the music world. You write your own material, but you also probably learn, perform, and record other people’s songs — for practice, for fun, for building an audience, or just because a song moves you enough to want your own version of it out there. That second category, the cover song, comes with a licensing requirement that most general-purpose distributors treat as an afterthought. For songwriters who want to release covers alongside original work, that afterthought can become a real obstacle.
Globex Music was built with that exact situation in mind. Whether you’re releasing your own compositions or putting your spin on someone else’s, the platform keeps things simple, affordable, and fast.
Why Songwriters Run Into Licensing Friction
If you write your own songs, you already own the rights to them. Releasing original music is straightforward — there’s no third-party permission to secure, no license to track down. But the moment you record a cover, you’re using someone else’s composition, and that requires a mechanical license even if you’ve completely reimagined the arrangement.
A lot of songwriters don’t realize this until they’ve already recorded something and are ready to upload it. Then they discover that some distributors either don’t support cover releases at all, or bolt on a separate licensing process that adds cost and delay. For an artist juggling originals and covers, that inconsistency is frustrating.
How Globex Music Handles It
With Globex, mechanical licensing for cover songs is built directly into the release process — not a separate product, not an upsell. When you upload a cover, the licensing is handled automatically as part of getting your track ready for distribution. You don’t need to track down publishers, file paperwork, or wait on a licensing service before your release can go out.
That matters because songwriters often move quickly between projects. You might record a cover as a warm-up for writing your next original, or as a way to introduce yourself to a new audience before your own catalog is built out. A distributor that slows that process down defeats the purpose.
What It Costs to Release Either Way
Price is where a lot of songwriters get boxed in by other services. Globex distributes a single release starting at $1, whether it’s an original composition or a licensed cover. Compare that to what the bigger names charge:
- DistroKid: $44.99 per year for unlimited releases, which only pays off if you’re releasing constantly
- TuneCore: $24.99 per year base cost, plus separate per-cover licensing fees, plus a 20% commission specifically on social platform monetization
- CD Baby: $9.95 per single, plus a 9% royalty commission that applies forever, on every release
For a songwriter who might release a handful of covers a year alongside original tracks, an annual subscription model rarely makes financial sense. Paying per release, at $1 a track, means you only pay for what you actually put out — no annual fee sitting on your account whether you’re active or not.
Fast Moderation Keeps Momentum Going
Songwriters building a following often rely on timing — a cover tied to a trending sound, a seasonal moment, or a collaboration that needs to go live while interest is high. Slow moderation queues can kill that momentum before it starts. Globex prioritizes fast review times so your release doesn’t sit in limbo waiting for approval, whether it’s an original track or a cover with licensing attached.
Getting Paid for Your Work
Once your music is live across 150+ streaming platforms, royalty payouts start from $10 USD, so you’re not waiting to hit some unreasonably high threshold before you see any return on a release. For songwriters testing new material or releasing covers as a side stream of income alongside original work, that lower payout floor means earnings actually reach you instead of sitting locked in an account balance.
Built for a Catalog That Grows Over Time
Songwriters tend to build a body of work gradually — some originals, some covers, released at whatever pace fits your creative process. Globex offers permanent catalog stability, meaning your releases stay live and accessible without requiring ongoing subscription payments to keep them there. Your catalog is a long-term asset, not something tied to whether you renew a yearly plan.
The Bottom Line
Songwriters need a distributor that doesn’t force a choice between releasing original work and releasing covers. With licensing built into the process, low per-release pricing, fast moderation, and payouts starting from $10, Globex Music is designed to support both sides of a songwriter’s catalog without added friction or hidden costs.
Sign up or log in to your dashboard and upload your release now
