Copyright, Ownership & Splits
What is copyright in music?
A copyright in music is the right to claim royalties. This can be on intellectual property (composition) or on a physical property (recording).
Who owns a song?
Many people own a song when it is released, unless publishing independently. Songwriters own the lyrical and composition side, producers, labels, and the artist share the recording copyright, and publishers take their own share of their signed songwriters works.
What is the difference between a song and a recording?
There are two copyrights when you break down a song as a whole. You have your composition and lyrical copyright, and then the sound recording copyright. The composition copyright focuses on the lyrical, melodic, and chordal content, whereas the sound recording is the physical waveform you might listen to on Spotify. Though it contains pieces of the lyrical and compositional copyright, it is embedded in the sound recording. They are inseparable and yet distinct entities.
What happens when I co-write a song?
The writer’s share of performance royalties, which is 100%, is typically split evenly among the number of writers on a song. For instance, for a song written by 4 people, each person receives 25% of the writer’s share. The writer’s share might also be uneven on a case-by-case basis.
What is a split sheet and why does it matter?
A split sheet is a way to legally showcase copyright royalty splits. This document binds the participants and ensures fair splits are assigned throughout the creation process.
