If you’re an independent band or artist, making cover songs is a great way to connect with the fans and gather more ears for your music. And there’s no better place to do it than YouTube.
It’s a great idea to drop cover songs between your original content or maybe if only making song covers is your thing, go for it.
It’s not a very difficult process but before you get started, here are a few tips on making cover songs on YouTube:
- Choose the right song
Pick a song that goes with your style, brand image and brings out your strengths as a musician. Keep in mind that the song has a decent amount of search traffic but at the same time if it has too many covers, do it only if you have a unique take on it otherwise go for songs that still have some room for a fresh interpretation. You can also take help from your fans by making them vote for the songs you should make a cover of. - Make sure you add something creative of your own
If you simply recreate the original, the audience won’t have a reason to listen to your version instead of the original. So it’s important to give it your own spin for it to stand out. A popular way to do it is by creating an acoustic or ‘unplugged’ version with just your voice and the instrument you play. You could also sing an a capella or if it was a solo, try it with a band or if the original performer was a male, how about a female touch to it. - Keep it legal
This is slightly tricky but I’ll just talk about a few basics. You don’t need a mechanical license because you are not creating that recording to sell, that license is important only if you plan on distributing your own version. You do technically need a synchronization license though but that can be hard to get and cost a lot too. But there’s a work around for that. YouTube’s Content ID system places a claim on your video if YouTube sees that it contains copyrighted material. In that case, some or all of the ad revenue that video makes will be paid to the rights holder. But if your cover is significantly different from the original version, YouTube Content ID might not pick it up and you can still generate ad revenue on it. But it’s always best to give credits to the artist in the description box.
Here are some additional tips:
- Use the right keywords in your titles and tags and select a good thumbnail.
- Use proper tools and instruments for recording for good audio quality.
- The background of the video should be uninteresting so that it doesn’t distract the viewers.
- Decide whether you’re going to record the audio and video together or record the audio separately and lip sync for the video.
So go make a list of the songs you might like to cover and get started!