What Is Music Copyrighting?
Music copyrights keep people from stealing the melodies of songs such as “Billie Jean” or “Imagine” and using them in their own songs. It is an important law in maintaining the integrity of musical authorship and the structure of music publishing.IdentificationA music copyright is a right granted to the author of an original piece of music that grants him the sole rights to distribute, copy, adapt or perform his work.Time FrameThe moment a person writes the lyrics or music to a song, she owns the copyright. In order for the work to be “created,” it needs to be “fixed in a copy or phonorecord.”HistoryThe Copyright Act of 1790 was the first law to recognize copyright in the United States. On Jan. 6, 1897, copyright law protected music from unauthorized public performance.PublishingIn order for a record label or publisher to release music by an artist, the artist needs to assign the copyright in exchange for contracts on royalties.Public DomainCopyright on a piece of music does not last f
