you're welcome, happy to help
Quite interesting though ''It should be noted that a mechanical license does not include the right to reproduce an already existing sound recording. That is a separate right, called a , which must be procured from the copyright owner of such sound recording.''
What this is addressing is the sale (not synch) of an existing recorded song such as what you may find in a compilation CD. With recorded music, there are 2 copyrights in play. The copyright on the composition (controlled mainly by writers and publishers) and the copyright of the sound recording (controlled mainly by labels). So for instance, if I wanted to make a 70's Disco Hits compilation and sell it as an album, I'd need mechanical licenses for all of the compositions and the master rights for all of the individual recordings.
Well if i choose a song to cover i plan on reproducing instrumental myself and record my own vocals. So i need a master use right don't i? I just plan on uploading it on youtube i don't plan on distributing it on itunes or anywhere else.
Because it's a video, a mechanical license would not work. You'd need a synch license and/or permission from the publisher/writer. Because you are creating your own backing track, you would only need permission from the composition side. It looks like Fullscreen and Maker struck a deal with Universal for their content creators earlier this year:
billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1538590/universal-music-publishing-inks-deals-with-fullscreen-maker-studios
Main thing to understand is that mechanical licenses
do not cover, well, YouTube covers, only sales.
oops just noticed this too....
But if i'm doing this by myself i have no clue where to go + it seems like you actually have to purchase the permission.
You'd need to contact the publisher of the song. You'll find that in the credits or you could lookup online.
Hope this helps!