Mastering the Music Game: A Guide for Artists, Rappers, Singers & Producers
Hey, what’s good, fam? I’m here to keep it real with you, no fluff. First off, I’m going to start dropping weekly blogs all about the music business, so you can tune in and level up your game. Now, I’ll be straight with you,,,, writing blogs isn’t really my thing, but I’ve got a plan in motion, and part of that plan means setting up the backend for things like SEO and making sure my content does the work for me. I’m doing this because I want to build something that benefits you and me, and that means putting out value.
These blogs are gonna be based on the questions I get asked by artists all the time. Now, I’m not a lawyer, so make sure you get professional advice where you need it, but what I’m offering here is the fundamentals. I’ll give you the real talk and help you cut through the BS. The info’s out there, but most people don’t know how to separate the facts from the noise.
Let’s Start with Music Copyright
If you’re an artist, this is something you need to know. After reading this blog and doing a little digging on your own, I promise you’ll see it’s not as confusing as people make it seem.
Every time you create a song, you’re dealing with
two key copyrights:
1. Master Copyright
2. Writing Copyright (also called Publishing Rights)
Master Copyright
The Master Copyright is all about the actual sound recording,,,, this doesn’t include the lyrics or the composition, just the recording itself. So when you lay down vocals, whether you’re rapping or singing, and that gets recorded, that’s what we’re talking about. Here’s the important part: whoever pays for that recording owns the master. So even if your friend, label or the producer covers the studio time, technically, they own the master.
This is where your money as a artist comes from (sales and streams), so you’ve got to be careful when you’re signing anything. And let’s be real,,,, those random contracts you pull from the internet won’t do you any favours in court without a proper lawyer’s stamp. Courts look at fairness, not just what’s written.
So, don’t stress about these amateur using copy-and-paste agreements from the internet. They can’t do anything with those because they don’t understand the real language of the law. Legal clauses like 1.2, 2.3, 3.6, 4.1, 5.4 might seem simple, ( they read it like a regular text book, lol ) but they’re all interconnected, each one affecting the other in ways that mean different things. An entertainment lawyer studies this language for years,,,, 8 years to be exact,,,,🙈 while these wannabes think they can copy and paste it in seconds. Don’t be fooled; those agreements mean nothing without real legal knowledge behind them.
If you paid for the recording, or recorded it in your home setup, you own the master. Simple. But if you’re using someone else’s beat and you’re just adding your vocals, you both own the master. Doesn’t matter who says what. You both have rights, unless you buy the beat outright or license it,,,, and for that, you’ve gotta have legit contracts signed by both sides’ lawyers.
Most producers won’t sell you a beat outright unless the money’s right. They usually license them out with terms and conditions attached. That’s a whole other conversation for later.
Bottom line: whoever pays owns the master.
Writing Copyright (Publishing Rights)
Next up, there’s the Writing Copyright, also known as Publishing Rights. This is about who writes the song, the lyrics, the music, all of that. Writing the lyrics is straightforward, but writing the music means the composition, the beat, the melodies, etc. Producers get writer’s credit because, back in the day, they were the ones who would actually write music on sheet paper.
If you’re writing your own lyrics and performing them, you own 100% of your publishing rights. And if you’re making your own beats too, you own the beat. Now, it sounds like that’d be 200%, right? But in legal terms, it’s all calculated within 100%. So, you get 50% for the lyrics and 50% for the music.
Now, when more people are involved in writing the song, you need to use something called a split sheet. This document breaks down who contributed what into percentages, whether it’s someone helping with a verse, a hook, or even the instrumentation like the bassline or keys. The easiest way to handle these situations is with a work-for-hire agreement (that’s just my opinion). And when money’s involved, always make sure it’s handled via bank transfer, not cash. That’s crucial. Courts don’t like cash deals because they’re hard to prove.
So, that’s just a taste of what’s coming. Stick with me, and we’ll dive deeper into the music business so you can make moves the right way. Stay sharp and handle your craft like a leader.
check this youtube video out, its about copyrights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6M7oPOPq_k
When I work with artists, I keep things simple and clear. I usually license the beat for a fee and let the artist own the masters 100%. That’s how most producers who know the game do it, and it works smoothly. For the publishing, we split it 50/50, so everyone gets their fair share of the writing credits.
Now, I’ve done 50/50 deals on masters without any beat fees before, but to be honest, I’m not a fan of that setup. It pulls me into the project too much unless we’ve agreed to do a proper track-for-track exchange. In that case, I give you a track, and you give me one in return. That way, it stays balanced, and everyone knows what they’re getting.