Attached.

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Running head: COPYRIGHTS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

Copyrights in the Music Industry
Institution
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COPYRIGHTS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Introduction
Copyright refers to a legal right entitled to a creator and their creation by the law. It is one
of the branches of Intellectual Property Rights which entirely protects the ownership of music in
the United States. According to the law, the basic concept of music copyright is that every creation
of music carries two rights that are distinct. In the first right, the underlying composition of music
is protected which referred to music work. Second is the right that protects the real recording of
the musical work which is recognized by law as a sound recording. These important concepts as
used in law are used to ensure that the music industry is universally regulated to ensure that
intellectual property rights are observed by all players in the industry. In this paper, the different
types of copyrights will be discussed in order to develop an understanding of how the industry is
regulated (Erickson, Heald, Homberg, Kretschmer, & Mendis, 2015).
Types of Music Copyrights
The first recognized music copyright is a public performance license. This refers to an
agreement that is entered into between the user and an agency of a copyrighted musical
composition that permits the user to play the copyrighted composition on radio, in public or even
online. Such an agreement is also referred to as a performing license. One should understand that
this applies to any song that one did not record or write and they intend to play it in a club, concert,
in a restaurant, on the radio or online streaming. Additionally, public performing license is a
requirement regardless of the portion of the song wishes to play. The public performing license,
however, has some exceptions especially when one plays songs that they have written themselves
in public. Institutions, radio stations, and businesses are therefore required to obtain these
performing rights. To ensure that there is smooth regulation, the United States has created three

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COPYRIGHTS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
agencies that are mandated in issuing these licenses which include American Society of
Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music Inc (BMI) and Society of
European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC). One is provided with a license as proof that
they are permitted the song by these songs ("What is a public performance license?", 2019).
The second type of copyright is the public performing right. It refers to an exclusive right
to ...