DistroKid can help you distribute cover songs, but we cannot help approve the use of samples from other songs in your music.

Stores do not allow you to use another artist's stem or sample without their permission. However, it's okay to use royalty-free samples from sample library services such as Splice, Sounds, and LoopCloud. It is also fine to use royalty-free samples that are included as default sample libraries in your DAW.

If you use royalty-free samples, your music will be ineligible for the YouTube Content ID album extra.

Sampling vs. Cover Songs

Sampling is when you use an actual recording of another artist's performance in your music. An example would be using the 1971 recording of Led Zeppelin's "When The Levee Breaks" as your drum track. That's generally not legal, unless you have permission from the original artist or owner of the copyright.

A cover song is a song that you performed and recorded yourself, but the music was written by someone else. An example would be a recording of your band playing "Smooth Criminal" (written by Michael Jackson). This is totally okay to upload – DistroKid makes it easy to sell cover songs. To upload a cover song, select "Someone else wrote it" in the "Songwriter" section of the DistroKid upload form. You'll find cover song license pricing and more information on the upload form as well.