Musical Compositions & Sound Recordings

Imagine turning on the radio and hearing your own song, music or lyrics - that somebody has stolen! How can you prove ownership of your creative work? Copyright registration is the proper legal protection for your original music.

If you create and record music, it is important to understand that there are actually two separate works that are subject to copyright protection:

1. Musical Compositions

First is the musical composition. This consists of music, including any accompanying words. The author of a musical composition is generally the composer, and the lyricist, if any. Copyright in a musical composition is not the same as, or a substitute for, copyright in the sound recording of that composition.

2. Sound Recordings

The second copyright is the sound recording itself. This copyright protects the particular sounds that have been recorded including the arrangement and production. If you record a new version of a song you've written, you would have a new copyright of the sound recording, but not in the original composition (because it's the same song).

For copyright purposes, the "author" of a sound recording is the performer(s) whose performance is recorded, or the record producer who processes the sounds, or both.

Copyright in a sound recording is not the same as, or a substitute for, copyright in the underlying musical composition.

< PreviousNext >