[mousepod]

Two different things at issue here: recording rights and publishing rights.

Legally, you can't use an existing recording of a song without permission of the owner of the recording (the record label in most cases) and the publisher. In the case of a privately recorded version, you still have to deal with the publisher. Although many small companies ignore this rule, the fact that you're located where you are increases the possibility that you'll get caught.

An alternative would be to use music that is made available for a small fee (and sometimes free) for projects like yours.

I'm about to leave work right now, so if you need help sourcing any of this stuff, let me know and I'll jump on it when I get home.