Where Do Singers Get Their Songs? Six Ways to Find a Song to Record

Singers get their songs in six main ways. They write them, write with others, cover songs that are already out, sing songs in the public domain, license a song that has not been released, or pay a writer to create one. Which route fits depends on three things: whether you need to own the song, whether you want it to be yours alone, and how fast you need it.

Below is each route in plain words, with what you get and what you still have to do. It uses U.S. sources. It is general information, not legal advice.

Start with three questions

• Do you need to own the song? Most singers only need permission to record and release their version, not ownership of the song.
• Does it need to be yours alone? A famous cover is shared with every other singer. An original can be too, unless you get an exclusive license.
• How fast do you need it? Writing takes as long as it takes. A cover, a public-domain song or a license can be arranged much faster than a new song can be written or commissioned.

1. Write it yourself

The Copyright Office says copyright protection exists automatically from the moment an original work is fixed, such as written down or recorded, and that the copyright initially belongs to the author. So when you write a song, you own it, and you need no one's permission to record it. The cost is time and craft. Register your songs so you can be paid when they are played. See our guide to registering songs with The MLC.

2. Write it with someone

When two or more people write a song intending to merge their contributions into one work, the Copyright Office calls them joint authors, and they have an indivisible interest in the whole work. Agree on each person's share, in writing, before the song is released. Our guide to listing a co-written song covers splits and permissions.

3. Cover a song that is already out

In the U.S., a compulsory license lets anyone make and distribute their own audio recording of a nondramatic musical work, which covers most songs, once it has been released to the public with its owner's authority. The Copyright Office's Circular 73 sets the limits. The license covers audio recordings, not sounds that accompany a film or other audiovisual work. It does not let you change the song's basic melody or fundamental character. It covers the song, not the original recording: the Office says the two are separate works, and licenses generally must be obtained separately for each. You do not have to use it, because you can negotiate directly with the owner instead. See mechanical licenses, explained.

A cover is the quick way to sing something people know. The trade-off is that you share the song with every other singer, and your version stands next to the original.

4. Sing a public-domain song

Cornell University Library's copyright chart, updated January 1, 2026, lists works first published in the U.S. before 1931 as in the public domain. Old hymns, carols and folk songs are often in that group, but check each one. A newer arrangement or a recording of an old song can still be protected, and other countries use other rules. Our guide to public-domain songs covers the traps.

This route costs nothing in permissions. But the song belongs to everyone, so what makes it yours is the way you arrange and sing it.

5. License a song that has not been released

A license is permission to use a song in the ways it names, and the writer keeps the copyright. The Copyright Office says ownership only moves with a transfer that is generally made in writing and signed by the owner. This is the route for a singer who wants an original that few or no other singers have. Before you pay, check what the license covers (recording, release, live performance, videos), whether it is exclusive, how the writers must be credited and how you can prove it. Our guide to what you actually get when you buy a song explains the difference.

On Starchild, every song can be heard in different styles and voices before you license it. You can change the key and tempo live and duck the demo vocal to sing over it. A license covers performing the song live and using your recording in your own music video and lyric video, and every license comes with a certificate naming the writers. An exclusive license takes a song off the market for 3, 6 or 12 months, and the holder can renew. Start with songs for artists to record.

6. Commission a new song

Paying a writer to create a song does not make you its owner. The Copyright Office's Circular 30 says a commissioned work counts as a work made for hire only if it falls in one of nine listed categories and both sides sign a written agreement saying so. The list includes a contribution to a collective work, a part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, and a translation. It does not name a stand-alone song.

If you want the copyright, you need a signed written transfer. If you only want to record and release the song, a license may be simpler. A music attorney should draft or review any commission. Our guide to buying lyrics covers the same trap.

What about publishers and song pluggers?

Signed and well-connected artists often get songs this way. Berklee's career pages say music publishers "secure and manage copyrights, promote songs to artists, license compositions for media," and describe song pluggers as "musical matchmakers who pitch compositions to recording artists." Berklee also says "record labels and big-name artists don't accept unsolicited musical submissions as a rule." For an independent singer, the routes above are usually more practical. So is asking a songwriter directly.

Which route fits?

• You want a song fast, and people already know it: cover it, after you read the limits above.
• You want a song that is free to record: use a public-domain song, then make the arrangement yours.
• You want something few other singers have: license an unreleased original, or an exclusive term.
• You want to own the song: write it, or get a signed copyright transfer from the writer.
• You have a story only you can tell: write it, or write it with someone.
• You need an exact fit and have time: commission a song, with a written agreement.

Mistakes to avoid

• Treating a cover as free to use anywhere. The compulsory license covers audio recordings, not sounds in a video.
• Assuming that paying a writer makes you the owner.
• Releasing a co-written song without agreed splits.
• Mixing up the song and the recording. Each can have its own owner.
• Relying on a chat message or a handshake. Keep the agreement in writing.

What to do today

Write one line each for what you need the song for, whether you need to own it, and your date. Pick the route from the list above. Then take one step: shortlist five candidates, email a writer, or sing the chorus of your favorite candidate three times in your own key.

Sources

• U.S. Copyright Office: Circular 1, Copyright Basics
• U.S. Copyright Office: Circular 30, Works Made for Hire
• U.S. Copyright Office: Circular 73, Compulsory License for Making and Distributing Phonorecords
• Cornell University Library: Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States
• Berklee: Song Plugger (career role)
• Berklee: Music Publisher (career role)