what is the difference between a copyright and a mechanical license?

Question

and a master use license..

Answer 1

you don't need copyright permission to issue recordings of songs once they have been distributed by others. your "cover" versions only require payment of the mechanical license to the copyright office. This is a royalty based on the length of the recorded music, and changes each year based on a cost of living index.

Or you can negotiate with the composer directly or with HFA to get the mechanical license. The name comes from the fact that the music is incorporated in a piece of physical media which often is made mechanically by a press machine for either LPs or CDs.

A master use license allows music to be incorporated in any media, not just records or CDs.