For most video game cover artists, YouTube is the platform of choice as there is a strong VGM cover community that already exists; however, this is changing. As YouTube has made it increasingly difficult to grow as an artist, people are finding that other platforms offer some unique advantages. Spotify is a great place for people to discover your music, and it often pays better than YouTube. Bandcamp is another great place to upload covers, although you’ll have to understand the licensing implications of Bandcamp (Editor’s Note: More on that later). Still, I can’t deny the appeal of YouTube—it’s easy, it’s quick, and there are plenty of people on the platform hungry for VGM covers.

You’ve probably heard of Soundrop and Distrokid, and if you haven’t, these are music distribution services that will upload your music to various digital platforms including Apple Music, Spotify, and more. Beginning artists might feel like their music isn’t “good enough” to sell on digital platforms, but I would encourage everyone to consider using these services. Don’t think of it as selling your music; think of it as offering more ways for people to find your music. Of course, if you decide to use one of these services, then you need to be sure your track is licenseable.

There is a lot of confusion and misconception when it comes to video game covers and the ability to license them, so let’s clear something up.

Making a free video game cover is illegal. 

So why then do so many people do it (myself included)? Copyrights are a tricky beast, and to put it bluntly, the people in charge of copyright law have not caught up with the times. In addition, there are many, many video game soundtracks that cannot be legally licensed. In order to legally license a video game cover, the track must have been sold commercially (whether online or in-store) in the United States. If you’re curious about whether a particular video game OST meets this criteria, I recommend using vgmdb.net, asking a fellow VGM artist, or emailing Soundrop or Distrokid directly. That being said, there are literally thousands of thousands of illegal covers on YouTube, so what are the practical consequences of uploading an illegal cover?

For most people, there are no practical consequences. Most video game companies or composers do not take the time to scour the internet for illegally uploaded covers. In fact, some composers actually encourage people to cover their music. That being said, in rare cases, people have had to take down video game covers due to licensing concerns. In extreme cases, entire channels have been removed, but the likelihood of that is pretty slim. My advice would be this: if you’re planning on releasing an album or a single through Soundrop or Distrokid, be absolutely sure that your tracks are licenseable. For more information on that, check out this article on “How to Legally License Your Music”. Uploading an unlicensed cover to YouTube is a calculated risk, but it’s one that many of us take, so feel free to talk with other VGM artists if you’re having concerns.