One way for artists to gain some popularity and fans is by doing covers, and according to WordPlay T. Jay, the process takes a few extra steps for doing it legally.

A cover is when an artist performs a unique version of a previously released song by another artist.

To do one, you have to get a cover license, or you may face legal action from the copyright owner.

Once you do the cover and are ready to release it, contact the original song’s publisher or copyright owner to get permission to use the song. You will also have to pay mechanical licensing fees of 9.1 cents per download and about 1.75 cents per each minute of streaming play time.

The mechanical royalties include digital downloads and hard copies, like CDs. you have to buy the license for a certain amount of purchases, which can be difficult if you do not know how much your work will sell.

Streaming is a little grayer of an area. The 1.75 cents per minute works out to about 5 cents per song if the song is 3 minutes long.

Most distributors — like DistroKid, CD Baby and TuneCore — have tools already on their site to help you get the licensing needed. It can cost anywhere from $12 to $60 per year depending on who you use, and other fees may be charged. You will also have to pay the royalties to the publisher.

So, now that you know how to legally release a cover, what songs should you cover?

You can really do any song you want that has been released commercially. Musicians have blown up from cover songs, and it’s a great way to build an audience by remaking something already out there in pop culture.

Think creatively and try to do something different. Even hip-hop artists can get into covers by remixing songs or making new versions of songs.

For more about covers, check out the video below!