For audio-only permanent digital downloads, a mechanical license is required. If you expect to deliver less than 2,500 permanent downloads, you can obtain the license through HFA Songfile. If you have an established HFA Licensing Account, you can also obtain the licenses through eMechanical, or if you need to obtain licenses in bulk (over 1000 titles) please submit HFA's PDD Application.

Depending on your use, you may need to obtain other kinds of licenses that HFA does not provide. Click here for more information.

Yes. Each format you distribute requires its own license. Go here to obtain information on how to request each type of license.

Yes. For more information please click on this link for HFA's Ringtone FAQs.

Permanent digital downloads, ringtones, interactive streams and limited downloads can be licensed at a statutory mechanical rate under U.S. Copyright Law. All songs can be licensed under the same terms, but note that HFA may not be authorized by a publisher to license a song for all of these formats.

If you obtained your license through HFA’s Songfile, you do not need to pay anything more (unless you exceed the quantity of downloads on the license and need to apply for more). If you obtained your license through eMechanical or our bulk process, you will need to report your royalties on a quarterly basis as per the terms of your license. You are required to pay for usage for as long as you offer that song as a permanent digital download. Note that HFA’s licenses incorporate the statutory late fee of 1.5% a month, or 18% a year for all royalty payments due on or after March 1, 2009.

HFA licenses cover the rights to make and distribute recordings of musical compositions. HFA licenses do NOT cover the use of existing sound recordings. Such "master rights" in existing sound recordings must be directly cleared with the appropriate copyright owner, usually a record company (label).

Additionally, please note that HFA may not represent all of the publishers on a given song. Therefore, the license you receive from HFA will only cover the percentage that is HFA-represented. You will need to obtain a mechanical license directly from any additional publishers that are not represented by HFA.

Yes, it is required under U.S. Copyright Law. This is how the publisher - and ultimately the songwriter - gets compensated for the use of their song.

The statutory rates for on-demand or interactive streams and limited downloads require that you be able to report information such as number of subscribers, service revenue, and content costs on the compositions you have licensed on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, you will probably not have access to this information from a third-party website. To obtain licenses for this use, you will need to obtain such information from the third-party website, negotiate a non-statutory licensing arrangement with the publisher directly, or request that the website obtain the statutory licenses on your behalf.

HFA licenses interactive streams (sometimes called on-demand streams). For more information on licensing an interactive streaming service, go here.

HFA does not license programmed streaming (online radio). You should refer to the performing rights society websites for more information on this type of licensing ( www.ascap.com, www.bmi.com, and www.sesac.com).

A limited download is a digital file that is delivered electronically to a computer to reside there on a limited basis. There are two types of limited downloads: time-limited download (for example, the song resides on the computer for 30 days) and use-limited download (for example, the song can be heard 12 times before it can no longer be played). Limited downloads are sometimes called tethered downloads.

Interactive streaming is when a digital file is transmitted electronically to a computer or other device at the specific request of the end user in order to allow the end user to listen to a recording or a playlist contemporaneously with the user’s request. Interactive streams are sometimes referred to as on-demand streams.

Yes. Please send an email to Newmedia@harryfox.com describing your proposed use. A representative of HFA will then contact you.

Please contact Newmedia@harryfox.com.

Please contact Newmedia@harryfox.com.