Music Glossary: royalties

Income paid after recoupment or post-use, e.g., performance royalties or sync back-end. more

Usually 70 years after the author’s death for compositions (50 for recordings in some territories). more

Formal filing that evidences ownership and enables enforcement in court; varies by jurisdiction. more

International Standard Recording Code identifying individual recordings for royalty tracking and database linkage. more

International Standard Musical Work Code identifying compositions for publishing and performance royalty collection. more

Permission to use a specific sound recording in a sync; obtained from the rights-holder of the master. more

Paid to songwriters/publishers for reproductions (CDs, downloads, streams). Collected by MCPS or MLC. more

Company administering compositions: registrations, licensing, collection, creative pitching, and writer support. more

Royalties for sound recording public performance/broadcast to performers and labels. more

Royalties paid to performers and producers when recordings are broadcast or publicly played. more

Generated by public plays (radio, live, streaming). Collected by PROs like PRS or ASCAP. more

Collects public performance royalties (e.g., PRS, ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN). more

Agreement transferring or sharing song copyright with a publisher who exploits and administers the works. more

Legal permission to reuse another artist’s recording or composition. Skipping clearance risks takedowns and lawsuits. more

Protects the master recording owned by label or artist; distinct from the underlying composition. more