Me: Still a cover but... there were a dozen or so versions on already file...

In discography, the word “cover” is simply short-hand for “cover version.” All same-same. The only thing that's changed over the decades is the time lag from the original. Transitioning from sheet music to audio has always been a matter of personal preference:

“In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released around the same time as the original in order to compete with it. Now, it refers to any subsequent version performed after the original.” [wiki]