08 September 2020
Music is a form of expression that helps to connect with the people, which speaks the real you. Some people say music has no boundaries, but the reality is different in the case of its laws. Art like music is also protected with laws and regulation.
This article will provide a basic overview of music laws including copyright law, intellectual property law, trademark law, and other laws relevant to the music industry. Let’s dig deep into it.
When you pay for anything you want to buy, that item or good belongs to you, and you can rightly make your claim that ‘you own it.’ Same with the music, your work in the field of music belongs to you, or in simple words, intellectual property is your own recordings and songs
If we break down the overall concept for your understanding, that as a musician, your intellectual property is your recordings and songs. Ownership of your music copyright provides you protection, authority, and power when it comes to making money from your art of music.
But wait a minute, what is copyright? The copyright represents the ownership of intellectual property by a person or group. Music copyright also acknowledges specific and undivided rights to the owner(s), one of the most vital being the right to earn wealth from that intellectual property.
Music copyright provides the special ownership designation of that particular song or recording. If any individual or we can say a musician who creates his music content, that means he owns that exclusive content.
If you work with any specific label, there is a strong chance the label controls and manages the copyright to the recording.
But if you write or compose any music content with one or more people, each one you own a portion of that song. This is how that works in the music industry, just like a big firm which houses a board of directors that is equally responsible for making a combined effort.
There are two main types of the copyright for music
What is composition copyright? The composition copyright is the part of the music content written down that includes notes, arrangements, and lyrics. In comparison, the sound recording copyright is the actual sound that you listen to.
So when do you own your copyright? You own your musical copyright when you capture the music or record in a fixed medium. This could be something as simple as writing your lyrics on a piece of paper or singing into a recorder with a date stamp on it.
You might be asking this to yourself, “If you own your copyright, why should you register your work? The primary reason is that in the case when someone infringes or copy on your copyright either by recording a song you wrote or using a sound recording you own without your consent or permission, you will have substantial leverage if you have officially filed your copyright registration with the government.
A registered content carries more weight in court than a sealed package. And in the case, if you decide to sue for copyright infringement, a federal registration entitles you to financial compensation from the offending party. It is the best proof of ownership that still exists.
Now you know the core of the concept of copyright and intellectual property. Music copyright is responsible for protecting recordings differently than the music contained in a record. The lyrics, rhythm, melody, and harmony combined may be used without consent, but still must be credited and paid. On the other hand, records are strictly prohibited from being used unless the copyright holder gives written permission.
In the end, if you wish to incorporate other copyrighted work into your music, be prepared to give credit and payment. If you don’t have the proper consent or permission, it’s imperative to leave copyright-protected samples off your recordings.
According to Rolling Stone this is the 12 most popular copyright cases:
Hope you enjoy the read.
Cheers,
Josh
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Hey I’m Tom, I’m a mastering engineer here at Audio Unity Group. I mostly look after Vinyl production and audio side of things. I hold a bachelor’s degree with honours from Kingston University in London. I love audio and helping others create outstanding-sounding records.