Holiday Songs that Require a License to Cover
The following songs are copyrighted and require a cover song license in order to distribute:
- A Holly Jolly Christmas
by Johnny Marks (1962)
- All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
by Donald Yetter Gardner (1948)
- Carol Of The Bells *
by Peter J. Wilhousky and Mykola Leontovich (1956)
*The lyrics and title of "Carol of the Bells" are copyrighted. The music, a Ukrainian folk song called “Shchedryk,” is in the public domain. In order to avoid paying a mechanical royalty, your recording would need to be an instrumental version of the composition, and you could NOT call it “Carol of the Bells.”
- Do You Hear What I Hear?
by Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne Baker (1962)
- Feliz Navidad
by José Feliciano (1970)
- Frosty The Snowman
by Steve Nelson and Walter E. Rollins (1950)
- Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin (1943)
- Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)
by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman (1947)
- I’ll Be Home For Christmas
by Walter Kent, Kim Gannon, and Buck Ram (1943)
- It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
by Edward Pola and George Wyle (1963)
- Jingle Bell Rock
by Joseph Carleton Beal and James Ross Boothe (1957)
- Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne (1945)
- Little Drummer Boy
by Katherine K. Davis, Henry V. Onorati, and Harry Simeone (1955)
- Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
by Johnny Marks (1958)
- Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
by Johnny Marks (1939)
- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
by Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie (1934)
- Silver Bells
by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans (1950)
- Sleigh Ride
by Leroy Anderson and Mitchell Parish (1948)
- The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells (1944)
- White Christmas
by Irving Berlin (1940)
- Winter Wonderland
by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith (1934)
Holiday Songs in the Public Domain
The following songs don’t require a cover song license, and you can start distributing them right away through Soundrop:
- Angels We Have Heard On High
- Auld Lang Syne
- Away In A Manger
- Coventry Carol
- Deck The Halls
- For Unto Us
- Go Tell It On The Mountain
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
- Good King Wenceslas
- Hallelujah Chorus
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- Here We Come A-Caroling (Wassail Song)
- I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
- I Saw Three Ships
- In The Bleak Midwinter
- It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
- Jingle Bells
- Jolly Old St. Nicholas
- Joy To The World
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- O Come O Come Emmanuel
- O Holy Night
- O Little Town Of Bethlehem
- Once In Royal David’s City
- Silent Night
- The First Noel
- The Twelve Days of Christmas
- Up On The Housetop
- We Three Kings
- We Wish You A Merry Christmas
- What Child Is This
Holiday Distribution Deadlines
The digital music platforms go on vacation around the holidays, so it’s important to follow their release deadlines if you want your music to be available on time.
This article shows you how far in advance you’ll need to prepare your release to meet your target drop date.