difference between master and copyright?

Question

I have read many books and I am interested in starting a record lable and a publishing company. But I still dont understand what is the difference between owning the masters of an album and the copyright of and album(songs).

also when you write a song and record it and use a producers beat(instrumental) when you copyright the song do you own the copyright to the beat also or do the producers keep the copyright?

when it comes down to writing songs for other artist? how does that work do you charge an upfront fee plus royalties, or do you just get royalties? when you right a song for another artist you own the copyright to that song, right? so can you like re-sell that song?

Answer 1

The masters are the physical tapes that a song is recorded on. The copyrights mean you get paid whenever someone uses your song.

I think if a beat is already copyrighted, you have to get permission to use it. You cannot copyright that part of it. You can copyright a portion of a song - like just the lyrics, for example.

If you write a song, you can handle however you like. You can charge fees and royalties or just royalties. I believe you can re-sell a song although I'm not 100% sure on that one.

Answer 2

If you are writing songs for yourself or others, you really need to join the non-profit composer organizations, such as ASCAP or BMI. They not only provide information on the questions you asked, but as a member they can manage the collection of performance royalties for you.