A music distributor handles the mechanical license needed to deliver a sound recording to streaming and download platforms, and it manages the technical and metadata relationship with those platforms. It does not handle synchronization rights, performance rights collection, trademark clearance, or sample clearances — those remain the artist’s responsibility in nearly every case, including at Globex Music.

This distinction trips up a lot of independent artists, especially those releasing covers, because the word ‘rights’ gets used loosely in forums and social media threads. Breaking it down by rights category makes the division much clearer, and shows exactly where a distributor’s job ends and an artist’s job begins.

What rights does a music distributor actually handle?

A distributor handles two things: the mechanical reproduction right for the recording you’re submitting, and the technical delivery of that recording to streaming platforms and download stores. For original songs, the mechanical right is implied because you own the composition. For cover songs, the distributor obtains or facilitates a mechanical license so the reproduction is legal — at Globex Music this is included automatically for every cover release, with no separate paperwork or waiting period for the artist to arrange.

Beyond licensing, the distributor’s operational job is metadata accuracy (artist name, ISRC, UPC, songwriter credits), platform formatting compliance, and getting the release through moderation and live on 200+ platforms. None of that touches songwriting ownership, image rights, or how the track can be used outside of audio streaming.

What is a mechanical license and why does it only cover one thing?

A mechanical license covers the right to reproduce and distribute a musical composition in audio form — it says nothing about video use, public performance venues, or merchandise. This narrow scope is exactly why a legally distributed cover song can still run into problems on YouTube: streaming audio and a music video are governed by different rights (mechanical vs synchronization), and a distributor’s license only clears the first one.

Which rights stay entirely with the artist?

Four categories almost always remain the artist’s or songwriter’s own responsibility, regardless of which distributor is used:

Performance rights and PRO registration

Performance royalties — generated when a song is played publicly, broadcast, or streamed in markets that track performance separately from mechanicals — are collected through a Performing Rights Organization, not a distributor. Artists need to register directly with a PRO (such as ASCAP, BMI, or an international equivalent) and, for original songs, register the underlying composition. A distributor moves the audio file; it does not file performance paperwork on an artist’s behalf.

Synchronization rights

Sync rights cover pairing music with visual media — music videos, films, ads, games. No standard audio distributor, including Globex Music, clears sync rights as part of a release. If a cover artist wants to post an official music video rather than just a lyric visualizer or static art, that typically requires a separate sync license negotiated with the publisher.

Trademark and name clearance

Choosing an artist or band name does not involve the distributor checking for trademark conflicts. That’s a legal and business decision the artist carries alone, and it matters more than many new artists assume once a catalog grows and a name becomes valuable.

Sample and interpolation clearances

If a recording contains a sample of another sound recording, or interpolates a melody rather than performing a straightforward cover, that requires its own clearance from the rights holder of the sampled work — separate from, and in addition to, the mechanical license a distributor provides for a cover.

How does this division work specifically for cover songs?

For a cover song, the distributor’s mechanical licensing covers audio reproduction and delivery to streaming platforms only — everything involving video, live performance royalties, or reinterpretation beyond a faithful cover stays outside that license. This is why the same recording can be perfectly legal as an audio stream and simultaneously risky as a monetized YouTube video: two different rights, two different clearance paths, only one of which the distributor touched.

At Globex Music, every cover release includes the mechanical licensing step automatically, moderation generally runs fast, and payouts begin from $10 USD once royalties accumulate — but none of that extends into sync, performance registration, or trademark territory, because those simply aren’t part of what audio distribution is built to do.

Why this division exists instead of one license covering everything

Music rights are split by use case because each use generates revenue through a different collection mechanism and a different rights holder chain. A mechanical license exists because reproducing a composition is a distinct legal act from performing it publicly or pairing it with video. Combining all of that into a single blanket license per release isn’t how the industry is structured, and no distributor — regardless of price or plan — can unilaterally clear rights categories that fall outside reproduction and distribution.

Understanding this split is more useful than hunting for a distributor that claims to ‘handle everything,’ because the claim itself would be inaccurate. A distributor’s real value is doing its actual job — clean metadata, fast moderation, broad platform reach, and automatic mechanical licensing for covers — reliably and cheaply, while being transparent that performance registration, sync, trademark, and sample clearance sit with the artist.

A practical checklist for artists

  • Handled by the distributor: mechanical license for audio reproduction, platform delivery, metadata, ISRC/UPC assignment.
  • Artist’s responsibility: PRO registration for performance royalties, sync licensing for video use, trademark clearance for names and logos, sample or interpolation clearance.
  • Cover-specific note: automatic mechanical licensing (as included with every Globex Music cover release) only clears the audio stream — a video version of the same cover needs its own sync clearance.

Keeping these categories separate in your own head avoids two common mistakes: assuming a $1 cover release means every possible right is cleared, and assuming that because one platform flagged a video, the audio release itself was somehow illegitimate. They’re different rights, cleared through different channels, and a distributor’s job has always been scoped to just one of them.

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