HOW TO COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK UK HOW TO
HOW TO COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK UK LICENSE

Master recording rights are valid for 50 years after creation. This is applicable to songs and songwriter but not owners of master recording rights. Music copyright length under UK copyright lawĪccording to UK copyright law, literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works last 70 years after the author’s death, or 70 years after the creation if the author is unknown. The songwriter won’t receive any royalties attributed to the master copyright of the sound recording. It also means that the songwriter will receive royalties for each sale or performance of the song, whether live or through the broadcast of the recording.

HOW TO COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK UK LICENSE

Having these two separate rights means that one songwriter can license their song to multiple recording artists. However, if another recording artist likes your song, they wouldn’t be able to make a recording of it without obtaining a mechanical license from you. Of course, if you own the publishing then you have nothing to worry about when recording your song. The right to reproduce a song in a sound recording is known as the mechanical license and a recording can’t be created for commercial purposes without this right.

First, permission from the owner of the publishing needs to be given. This creates different copyrights for each master of the recording. All CDs, vinyl records or digital versions of this master are copies made with a license to copy the master.Ī single song has the potential to be made into multiple different recordings. The master is the final version of a recording. Music copyright includes the right to the song and the right to the recording, known as the master copyright. Upload a copy of your recording privately to Soundcloud, YouTube, etc.

HOW TO COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK UK HOW TO

If you want to know how to copyright a song, here are some things to do with your music. You will need to join collection societies in order to start capitalising on your copyright. However, this doesn’t mean you’ll start earning royalties. The good news is that in the UK, copyrighting a song is automatic once the song is tangible, so either written down or recorded. The key point is that it separates the copyright for the musical composition from the copyright of the sound recording. However, it is enough to cover basic music copyright for now. This is a short snippet of a massive set of laws. Copyright does not subsist in a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work until it is recorded, in writing or otherwise according to the law. They can also issue copies of the work or rent or lend it to the public. Importantly, amongst other rights, the copyright owner has the exclusive right to copy the work. It also covers sound recordings, films or broadcasts. It states that copyright is a property right and is attributed to original literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works. Under UK law, music falls under the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988. However, this also creates another music copyright for the sound recording. Recording the song also creates a copyright. This means you create the publishing right when you notate the chords and melody or write down the lyrics. In the UK, copyright is created when music is manifested in a tangible form.

It is worth noting that if one songwriter writes the composition and another writes lyrics, they all share the rights to both parts of the song. Songwriters who have either written the composition or the lyrics will get the copyright to the song attributed to them. The first of these rights is the right to the song or musical composition, also known as the publishing copyright. In its most basic sense, music copyright means the exclusive right to reproduce the two separate rights related to music. It also allows songwriters to make money from their music. Copyright protects creators from the unfair exploitation of their work. Music copyright is part of a wider UK copyright law. Before you think about signing your rights away to a publisher or record label, find out what copyright means if you’re a singer or musician in the UK. Learning the law around music copyright can be daunting but we will try to keep it simple. The Copyright, Design & Patents Act 1988 means you own and control the rights to your work, which last your lifetime and 70 years after death. UK music copyright law protects the literary and musical intellectual property of songwriters and recording artists. We will cover everything you need to know about music copyright in the UK, licensing and copyrighting a song and how the law affects singers, musicians and other creators. Music copyright law is important for every singer and musician who want to know how to copyright a song.

How to copyright your work uk