| GENERAL MUSIC INFORMATION |
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Music Publishing Rights Music publishing rights encompass the right to record, perform, duplicate and the right to include the work in a new or different work. Under the umbrella of publishing rights include without limitation the categories of mechanical rights, public performance rights and print rights. Mechanical Right The right to reproduce and distribute to the public a copyrighted musical composition on phonorecords (which include audiotapes, compact discs and any other material object in which sounds are fixed, except those accompanying motion pictures and other audiovisual works.) Synchronization Rights The right to record a musical composition in synchronized relation to the pictures in an audiovisual production, such as a motion picture, television program, television commercial or video production is called the synchronization right or "synch" for short. Mechanical license License granted to allow a user to exploit the mechanical rights. Compulsory license Once the copyright owner of a musical composition authorizes the public distribution of phonorecords embodying the composition for the first time, anyone else may then also record that musical composition and distribute phonorecords of that new recording by following the procedure established by the US Copyright Act which requires giving notice to the owner and paying a statutory royalty for each phonorecord manufactured and distributed. The compulsory license is available only for audio recordings which are manufactured for distribution primarily to the public for private use. Please visit the United States Copyright Office web site for more information. Master Recording Rights or "Master Use Rights" Required to reproduce and distribute a sound recording embodying the specific performance of a musical composition by a specific artist. A potential licensee who seeks to manufacture an existing recording must contact its copyright owner. Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) License organizations which facilitate licensing and monitor compliance. In the United States there are PRO's: ASCAP , BMI and SESAC , which represent songwriters and publishers domestically and, through reciprocal arrangements with international societies around the world. A songwriter and a publisher may belong to only one performance rights society. Since music publishers may acquire music from writers affiliated with any of the above societies, they typically form separate PUBLISHING companies to affiliate with each society. Master Recordings The term Master Recording (or “Master" for short) refers to the original, produced recording of sounds (on a tape or other storage form) from which a record company makes CD's or tapes (or in the old days, LP's) which it sells to the public. |