Copyright, publishing, master license \u2013 it\u2019s easy to get confused! In the world of movies or in advertising, rights connected to music are a key issue: after all, music unmistakably brings a new dimension to images. But only once it\u2019s been cleared by its rights holders\u2026
\nMany artists have even become famous thanks to the use of one of their songs in an advertisement, but for a piece of music to be used in a production, first of all certain rules governing copyright have to be respected.
\nTo use a piece of music on images, whether in advertising, in video games or in a film or series, the rights have to be cleared, primarily:
\nCopyright in the musical work (Publishing)
\nRights in the sound recording (Master)<\/p>\n
In the music industry, it\u2019s especially the publishing rights (which a publisher holds on a musical work) and the master rights (the rights held by a producer on the sound recording) that are at the heart of the matter.
\nWhat you have to know that is that a \u201csong\u201d is made up of a musical work (Publishing) and a sound recording (Master).
\nThe musical work consists of words as well as the musical composition. It\u2019s the score, in a manner of speaking. It\u2019s created by songwriters and is the property of publishers. As for synchronization, that\u2019s quite simply another word for designating the use of a musical work in a video: in other words, when music is found juxtaposed with images.<\/p>\n
Sound recordings (or \u201cmaster tapes\u201d or \u201cmasters\u201d), meanwhile, are recordings consisting of performances by artists and musicians. They\u2019re the property of producers. The publisher and the producer are not usually the same people. It should also be noted that a single musical work can be the subject of a number of recordings (there are thousands of recordings of the musical work \u201cSummertime,\u201d for example).<\/p>\n
So, if someone says \u201cper side,\u201d the reference is on the one hand to the rights of the producer in the sound recording (\u201cmaster rights\u201d), and on the other to the publisher\u2019s copyright on the musical work (\u201cpublishing rights\u201d).
\nTo use a \u201csong\u201d in an advertisement, you have to request the authorization of the owner of the musical work and conclude an agreement with that person for a \u201csynchronization license,\u201d and also ask for authorization from the owner of the sound recording and conclude a \u201cmaster use license\u201d with that person. <\/p>\n<\/h2>\n
What about re-arranging a song? <\/h2>\n
Creating your own version of a song can be a good idea for a few reasons. It can reduce costs, but also allows you to create your own twist to the song. As a result, you might even get a better impact \u2013 the audience will remember you for this rearrangement. If you simply wish to re-record the musical work (for example, a particular interpretation of \u201cSummertime\u201d), only the copyright in that musical work has to be cleared (because there\u2019s no interest in using a preexisting recording), and you\u2019re free to rerecord the work in question – plus no union fees to be paid other than to the artists who create your rearrangement. However, usually, the publisher of the musical work will require that there is some difference to the sound of the song (you cannot create a sound-alike) and may charge a bit more for their side since you do not have to pay for the rights to the original recording. They will also usually require you to send them the new version of the song for approval. <\/p>\n
So: are things a little clearer for you now in the world of music rights?
\nNow get in touch and let’s clear your dream titles!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Copyright, publishing, master license \u2013 it\u2019s easy to get confused! In the world of movies or in advertising, rights connected to music are a key issue: after all, music unmistakably brings a new dimension to images. But only once it\u2019s been cleared by its rights holders\u2026 Many artists have even become famous thanks to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1243,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[131],"tags":[129,130],"class_list":["post-1245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-practical-info","tag-music-rights-101","tag-music-sync-know-how"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n