What is a Master in Music?
What are “Masters” in the Music Industry?
The term “Master” refers to the Master Recording of a song. Master Recordings are the final, original recording(s) of a song or composition that was recorded, typically in a recording studio. They are the source from which any and all copies are created and distributed.
Are masters and copyrights the same thing?
When using the term “Masters”, most people are talking about both the final recording(s) and the copyrights to said recording(s).
The copyrights of a master can also be referred to as the Song Recording Copyrights. Song Recording Copyrights encompass the underlying rights of an audio recording including the exclusive rights of reproduction, adaptation, publication, performance, and display.
Song Recording Copyrights are not the only type of Copyrights in music. In this Article we breakdown the different types of copyrights in music!
Is it better to own my masters or to sign them over to a label?
There are pros and cons to both decisions so it all depends on what you value most. Many artists would prefer to own their masters but end up signing them over to a label because working with a label can come with many advantages. For example, artists that work with a label or administration company get to spend the majority of their time creating music and interacting with fans because the company is typically handling the workload and costs of distribution, monetization, copyright & claims, creation, promotion, booking, merch, etc. However, the Label typically gets to decide when the artist can release more music, where and when they tour, and will charge a percentage of the royalties in exchange for their connections, expertise, and other various resources.
While it can be more lucrative to own and administer your own music, most independent artists never build a team that can handle the full workload of replacing a record label and end up spending the majority of their own time and money attempting to do everything themselves. Without a some sort of team it is very hard to get your music heard, seen, and felt by lots of people.
For artists who want to focus on creating and own their masters, some administration companies allow you to keep ownership of your masters and only charge a percentage of royalties. In fact, at Poetic Records we administer the music our artists create at Poetic Studios and allow them to keep ownership over their work and keep up to 90% of their profits!
Overall, it just comes down to what you value most as an Artist. If you want to own and control 100% of your catalogue and earnings, it will require you to spend a lot of time and money administering your music and creating an audience for yourself. It’s often said that 10% of your time will be spent on music and 90% of your time will be spent on business as an independent musician. If you just wants to focus on making and performing music, while receiving royalty checks, it would be wise to find a record label or music administration company to administer your music for you. Often times Record Labels will even pay you an advance to help you fund your project before it is created.
*DISCLAIMER* ALWAYS REVEIW CONTRACTS WITH AN ATTOURNEY PRIOR TO SIGNING ANYTHING
