Music Rights & Royalties 101
Lesson 1: The two copyrights (song vs recording)
Use this lesson to build one skill: quickly identify whether a real-world use touches the musical composition, the sound recording, or both.
What you’ll learn
Why U.S. copyright treats the “song” (composition) and the “master” (sound recording) as separate works.
A reliable method to classify a situation as composition-side, master-side, or both.
Why ownership can be split across different parties even for one track.
How to route a royalty/permission question to the correct side before registering or licensing anything.
How to use this lesson
- Start Lesson 1A and take notes on the classification method.
- Answer the applied exercise by labeling each scenario: composition, master, or both.
- Take the multiple-choice quiz only after the reading pages.
Lesson pages
1A
Foundations
Definitions (once), classification method, practical implications.
Start →
1B
Ownership basics
Who typically owns what and why splits happen.
Soon
1C
Permissions map
Which permissions attach to composition, master, or both.
Soon
1D
Quiz
Multiple-choice assessment (after the teaching pages).
Soon