Most money disputes between artists, producers and labels come from one misunderstanding: a single track is not one piece of property but two. This lesson separates the recording from the song, shows who normally owns each, and draws a clear line around what your distributor does.
Two rights inside every track
When you release a track, the law usually sees two separate works. The first is the sound recording, often called the master: the specific audio that was captured, mixed and mastered. The second is the musical work, often called the composition: the melody and lyrics as they could be written on paper or sung by anyone.
The two can belong to different people. A singer who records a song written by a poet and a composer owns the recording, while the poet and composer own the song. One song can have many recordings, each with its own owner, its own ISRC and its own income.
Who owns the master, usually
The master usually belongs to whoever paid for the recording and took the financial risk. If you booked the studio and paid the producer yourself, the master is usually yours. If a label paid, the contract usually gives the master to the label, for a fixed term or permanently.
Producers and session musicians usually do not own the master unless the agreement says so, but they may be owed a share of its income, or a separate performer payment through neighbouring-rights societies. Put every arrangement in writing before the session, even between friends. A short signed split sheet avoids most later disputes.
Who owns the song, and who collects for it
The composition belongs to the people who wrote it: the lyricist and the composer. Several writers usually share it according to agreed percentages. Many writers sign with a music publisher, who administers the song in exchange for a share of its income.
Song income travels through different pipes from recording income. Performance royalties, earned when the song is played in public, broadcast or streamed, are collected by performing-rights organisations in each country. Mechanical royalties, earned when the song is reproduced, including on streaming services, are collected by mechanical-rights societies or publishers. A distributor collects none of this unless your agreement says otherwise.
- Song performance royalties: performing-rights organisations
- Song mechanical royalties: mechanical-rights societies or publishers
- Recording income from stores: your distributor
- Recording neighbouring rights: societies such as PPL and SoundExchange
Covers, remixes and features
When you record a cover, you own your new recording, but you do not own the song. In most countries you need a mechanical licence before selling or streaming it, and the songwriters are paid from its use. A remix of someone else's recording usually needs permission from both the master owner and the song owner.
A featured artist usually owns nothing in the master unless agreed, but has a performer right in the recording. Agree the master share, the writer share and the credit wording in one document before release, so your metadata matches what everyone signed.
What a distributor does
A distributor is the bridge between your catalogue and the stores. It converts your audio and artwork into the formats each store requires, delivers them, assigns ISRC and UPC codes if you have none, collects the recording income the stores pay, and reports it to you in a statement.
At Mazufa Records the terms are simple: no upload fee, no subscription, no per-release fee; the revenue share is set out in your written agreement. Under a normal distribution agreement you keep ownership of your masters; the distributor holds a licence to deliver them while the agreement lasts.
What a distributor does not do
A distributor is not a publisher, not a collecting society and not a lawyer. It does not usually register your songs with performing-rights organisations, does not collect neighbouring-rights income for performers, and cannot decide who owns a disputed master. If a service covers one of these, it should say so in writing.
Knowing this line protects you. If an expected payment has not arrived, first ask which pipe it should come through: streaming income through the distributor, song performance income through a performing-rights organisation, performer income through neighbouring-rights societies.
Three practical steps
- Write down, for every track, who owns the master and who wrote the song, with percentages.
- Register your songs with a performing-rights organisation; your distributor usually will not.
- Before signing, read your distribution agreement for the words licence, term and ownership.
Questions people ask
Does signing with a distributor mean I give up my masters?
Usually no. A standard distribution agreement is a licence to deliver your recordings, not a transfer of ownership. Check the agreement for the words assignment or transfer, which would mean otherwise.
I sing songs written by someone else. What do I own?
You own the recording you paid for and have a performer right in it. The song belongs to its writers, who are paid separately through collecting societies and, usually, a mechanical licence.
Can my producer claim my master later?
Only if your agreement gives the producer a share or ownership. Without a written agreement the position varies by country, which is why a signed split sheet before release matters.