Apple Music is one of the first platforms new artists ask about — and for good reason. It has a loyal listener base, strong integration across iPhones and other Apple devices, and a catalog that treats independent releases with the same visibility as major labels. But if you’re planning to release a cover song, there are a few things worth understanding before you hit upload.
Here’s what actually matters, without the fluff.
Cover Songs Need Licensing — Even on Apple Music
A common misconception among new artists is that you can just record a cover and upload it anywhere, no questions asked. That’s not how it works. Every cover song needs a mechanical license before it can legally go up on Apple Music or any other platform. This license gives you permission to record and distribute someone else’s composition.
Getting this license yourself can mean paperwork, waiting periods, and per-song fees that add up fast if you’re releasing more than one track. This is where a distributor that includes automatic mechanical licensing for cover songs saves real time and money. With Globex Music, that licensing step is built into the release process — no separate applications, no guessing whether you’re covered.
What Apple Music Actually Looks For
Apple Music’s moderation team checks for a few basics: correct metadata, appropriate cover art, no copyright red flags, and audio that meets quality standards. Cover songs specifically need proper licensing documentation tied to the release, which is exactly why skipping that step can get a track rejected or pulled later.
New artists sometimes assume moderation will take weeks. It doesn’t have to. Fast review turnaround matters a lot when you’re trying to time a release around a trend, a holiday, or a moment when a song is getting attention on social media. Slower distributors can mean missing that window entirely.
Pricing Matters More Than New Artists Expect
If you’re just starting out, every dollar counts, and distribution pricing varies a lot more than people realize:
- DistroKid charges $44.99/year for unlimited releases.
- TuneCore charges $24.99/year as a base fee, plus separate per-cover licensing fees, plus a 20% commission specifically on social platform monetization.
- CD Baby charges $9.95 per single upfront, plus a 9% royalty commission that continues indefinitely.
- Globex Music charges $1 per release, with no annual fee and no ongoing commission structure like the ones above.
For a new artist releasing their first cover song, that difference isn’t small. Spending under a dollar to test the waters is a very different commitment than locking into a yearly subscription or a per-song fee stacked with licensing costs.
Getting Paid: What «Payouts From $10» Actually Means
Once your cover is live on Apple Music and starts generating streams, you’ll want to know when you actually see money. Globex Music sets payouts starting from $10 USD, meaning once your balance reaches that threshold, it’s available to withdraw. For a new artist without a big following yet, a low payout threshold matters — you don’t want your first earnings sitting locked behind a much higher minimum.
150+ Platforms, Not Just Apple Music
While Apple Music is often the first platform new artists focus on, distributing to just one service limits your reach. A single submission that pushes your cover song to 150+ platforms — including Apple Music, Spotify, and many others — means your track is working across the entire streaming landscape instead of just one app.
Catalog Stability Is Worth Thinking About Early
New artists sometimes overlook this until it becomes a problem: what happens to your music if you stop paying an annual fee or a subscription lapses? With platforms that charge yearly, missing a renewal can mean your catalog gets pulled down. Permanent catalog stability — releases that stay up without recurring fees — gives new artists one less thing to worry about as they build a release history over time.
Starting Simple as a New Artist
If you’re releasing your first cover song and eyeing Apple Music as a starting point, the practical checklist looks like this: make sure licensing is automatically included, check that moderation won’t leave you waiting, confirm the payout threshold is reasonable, and look at the total cost — not just the sticker price, but any hidden per-song fees or ongoing commissions.
Apple Music is a great platform to build on. Just make sure the way you get there doesn’t cost you more than it needs to.
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