Music is an artistic creation that often gets stolen and misused simply because many artists are unable claim to what they created. Music artists with individuality who are creating original tracks must protect their music with a patent or else someone else will claim your music as their work. A music artist must know music rights and intellectual property in order to safeguard their creative work that came from an intellectual and creative brain. There are various aspects of music and a professional music artist should be aware of them.
Guide for Securing Music Rights
- Understand the Copyright Laws – Copyright is the foundation of securing your music rights which allows you to take legal steps against anyone who tries to use your music without permission. Make sure to be familiar with the copyright laws in your country. Copyright offers legal evidence of ownership which is helpful in case of infringement issues.
- Utilize Contract – Always focus on the contracts when you collaborate with music producers, songwriters, or musicians. Keep all the agreements in place with clear information. Contracts help to outline royalties, ownership rights, and usage permissions.
- Make a Trademark for Your Brand – What helps to stand out is a small visual element that is easily recognizable. Utilize name, logo, slogans, and other elements that help to trademark it. It helps to get legal protection against unauthorized usage.
- Use Licensing – Licensing is crucial to use your songs commercially as it decides how they will be used and generate income through the process. Music artists explore the opportunities for syncing with television shows, films, commercials, video games, and others. The music should be also licensed for streaming platforms, public performances, cover tracks, and many others.
- Utilize Watermark – Adding a digital watermark can be also helpful which helps to prevent unauthorized sharing of the original content. Watermark can be added as metadata that helps track and identify your musical creation.
- Monitoring and Enforcement – It is important to regularly monitor social media platforms, streaming services, and other platforms just to check if your music is being used by others. In case you find an example of copyright infringement, make sure to legal steps and appropriate actions with cease and desist letters and other legal remedies.
- Performing Rights Organization (PRO) – There are many PROs such as BMI, ASCAP, SESAC, etc that collect royalties on behalf of songwriters as well as publishers. When you register with a PRO it helps to ensure that you are getting the compensation you deserve whenever your music is being telecasted or being performed publicly.
Let’s Understand the Basics of Music Copyright Law
6 Aspects of Music Copyright Law
- The Copyrighted Work Must be Original
The musical work has to be original in order to get copyrighted. It does not matter whether the musical work is amazing or not but its originality is important. The source for the two tracks belongs to the same origin, so it is not possible to claim.
- The Violation of Copyright Law Should be Represented in Court
Copyright owners have exclusive rights and can easily take legal action against anyone who violates the music rights and causes copyright infringement. If the infringement is successfully established in the court, the offender will have to compensate the artist.
- Copyrights that are Administrated by Record Labels
Master recording copyrights are administrated and often owned by record label companies. The label can be the primary owner or could be the party. Record labels that invest in artist recording can handle the copyrights for master on the behalf of the artists. They are the primary owner of the master copyright.
- Compositional Copyrights are taken care of by Publishers
Similarly, the compositional copyrights are administrated by the publishers. It works differently than the master copyright. It mainly takes a share on behalf of the writers which can be somewhere around 50%. The other 50% of the copyright is allotted to the publisher.
- Copyright stays 70 Years past the Lifetime
Copyright protection lasts for a long time of 70 years past the lifetime of the artist or the writer. In some cases, the period can be as long as 95 years and 120 years from its creation. After that, it becomes a public domain.
- Mechanical license for Cover Versions
Cover songs do not need master copyright but you must have a mechanical license that allows you to do that for some particular countries. Cover tracks do not need any specific permits.
Concluding Thoughts
It is recommended to talk with a professional or hire a lawyer to have a better idea. You can also ask other music artists for guidance.
