Introduction Two or more songwriters sit down… armed with guitars and a notepad… intending to change the world with a great song (or at least make some money). Whether songwriters co-write with their co-writer(s) in a living room, spontaneously in the studio, during a song camp, or via Zoom, it is critical that they consider […]
Subject to granting an assignment of copyright/license to a music publisher or record label, the author of the musical work (i.e. songwriter) will generally be the owner of the musical work copyright, while the performer of the song on the record and/or producer will generally be the owner of the sound recording copyright (referred to as the “maker” under the Copyright Act).
A simple conversation with a lawyer who has experience in the music business can assist in flagging potential issues and provide useful information and guidance as you navigate through this complex and dynamic terrain, whether as an artist or industry professional (or both).
For over a decade, universities have had free-rein to use copyright-protected work for the purposes of education, research, private study, criticism, review, news reporting, satire and/or parody, so long as their use of the work was considered “fair dealing”.