True or False: A mechanical license is not needed when you are giving away the music free.

True or False: A mechanical license is not needed when you are giving away the music free.

• A. True
• B. It depends on how the music is used
• C. A mechanical license is always required
• D. False

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that a mechanical license covers the right to reproduce and distribute a musical work in fixed form, such as copies of a song ( CDs, downloads, or other phonorecords). This license is about the act of making copies and distributing them to the public, not about whether you charge for them. So even if you’re giving the music away for free, you’re still creating and distributing copies, which typically requires permission and payment of mechanical royalties. If you’re simply performing the song live (public performance) or offering streaming where the service handles licensing, that falls under different licenses, not a mechanical license. But for distributing copies for free, a mechanical license is still needed. That’s why the statement is false.

The key idea is that a mechanical license covers the right to reproduce and distribute a musical work in fixed form, such as copies of a song ( CDs, downloads, or other phonorecords). This license is about the act of making copies and distributing them to the public, not about whether you charge for them. So even if you’re giving the music away for free, you’re still creating and distributing copies, which typically requires permission and payment of mechanical royalties.

If you’re simply performing the song live (public performance) or offering streaming where the service handles licensing, that falls under different licenses, not a mechanical license. But for distributing copies for free, a mechanical license is still needed. That’s why the statement is false.