Can I upload cover songs on Digital Streaming Sites
You can’t make cover of any song without proper permissions. But there are many songs you can cover. As per the Indian copyright act 1957, the duration of copyright is the lifetime of the author plus sixty years. The period of sixty years is measured from the beginning of the calendar year next following the year in which the author dies. e.g. if the author died during the year 2000 the work will fall into the public domain on January 1st 2061.
There are many songs which are in the public domain, you can use them without any issues.
For example:
- Rabindra Sangeet
- Devotional songs (such as Hanuman Chalisa)
- Folk Songs