What is a Sound Recording?

A sound recording is the reproduction of sound waves into a fixed form from which the contents can be heard or communicated again. Inherently, a sound recording is a separate intellectual property from any lyrics, compositions, poetry, script, or speech that may be embodied within it. Meaning that a sound recording is a separate entity in the terms of copyright ownership and licensing. This complexity is what makes understanding exactly what a sound recording is (and is not) so important.

Learn more here from our book: “How the Music Business Works: 2nd Edition”.



In this newsletter:

YouTube’s Creator Music is getting quadruple the amount of licensed music that can be used in short-form videos, according to an update from the platform. The max video length for Shorts snippets has been extended up to 60 seconds. Music publishers will decide whether to offer 15-, 30-, or 60-second chunks to creators.

The IFPI’s “Engaging with Music 2022” study reveals that music consumers are spending on average 20.1 hours listening to music weekly, a 9% increase from 18.4 hours in 2021. In addition, 46% of those surveyed for the report listen to music through a premium subscription streaming service.

Tencent Music Entertainment, which operates music services QQ Music, Kugou and Kuwo, generated total revenues of USD $1.04 billion in Q3, according to its financial results, a 5.6% year-over-year decrease. The company’s number of paying music users also reached 85.3 million during the period.

Now, the details...

Exploration Weekly - November 18, 2022
Compiled by Heidi Seo

YouTube’s New Creator Music Service Just Got a Big Upgrade

Creator Music is getting an upgrade. YouTube is quadrupling the amount of licensed music that can be used in its short-form videos. Previously, Shorts snippets were limited to 15 seconds; now, that max has been extended to 30 seconds “for most tracks” and up to 60 seconds for some. Individual music publishers will decide whether to offer 15-, 30-, or 60-second chunks to creators. YouTube noted that the longer licensed cuts are rolling out gradually. “We invite you to use longer snippets of licensed music from your favorite artists to add some extra flare to your Short, and try out longer segments of original sounds from other eligible Shorts and VODs to put your own unique spin on the content you love,” reads an update from the platform. By permitting more music in its Shorts, YouTube hopes to cut down on the number of DMCA notices creators receive.

Music Listening Via Legal Streaming Services Holds at 46%, IFPI Finds

More people around the globe are listening to licensed music services than ever before, but piracy continues to have a harmful impact on creators’ careers, according to a new report from international trade body IFPI measuring global consumption and listening habits. IFPI’s “Engaging with Music 2022” study reveals that music consumers are spending on average 20.1 hours listening to music weekly, a 9% increase from 18.4 hours in 2021. The London-based organization found that 46% of the 44,000-plus music fans it surveyed for the report listen to their favorite artists through a premium subscription streaming service such as Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon Music, either using their personal subscription or via a shared account. That number rises to 74% when ad-supported music streaming is factored in alongside paid subscriptions.

Tencent Music Entertainment Reaches 85.3M Paying Music Users, Up 19.8% YoY

According to Tencent Music Entertainment’s financial results for Q3 2022, the China-based music streaming giant, which operates music services, QQ Music, Kugou and Kuwo, generated total revenues of USD $1.04 billion in Q3, representing a 5.6% year-over-year decrease. TME’s net profit grew YoY, however, by 38.7%, reaching USD $154 million in Q3. Revenues from online music services for Q3 2022 increased by 18.8%. TME says that this increase was driven by strong growth in music subscription revenues, supplemented by growth in revenues from sales of digital albums and advertising services, partially offset by a decrease in sublicensing revenues. The company’s paying music users reached 85.3 million in Q3, after adding a total of 2.6 million paying music users in Q3 versus the end of Q2 2022.

Artist Remuneration Remains a Key Sticking Point as MPs Return to the Economics of Streaming Debate

MPs on the UK Parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee heard from music industry experts and representatives about the work that has been ongoing within the music community since the committee published its report last year on the economics of music streaming. For data and transparency, working groups were convened made up experts from across the industry. They were tasked with considering, debating and scrutinizing the data and transparency issues that had been raised in the select committee’s report, agreeing to some plans for better communicating to artists and songwriters how their music is exploited and monetized by the streaming services. And a plan to better manage the music rights data that is key for ensuring artists and especially songwriters are properly credited and paid when their music is streamed.

Megan Thee Stallion and Big Sean Settle “Go Crazy” Copyright Lawsuit

Megan Thee Stallion and Big Sean have reached a settlement with two Detroit rappers, ending a lawsuit claiming the hip-hop superstars ripped off an earlier song with their 2020 collaboration “Go Crazy.” In a lawsuit filed in July, Duawn “Go Hard Major” Payne and Harrell “H Matic” James claimed that Megan’s song sounded so much like their 2012 track “Krazy” that there was no way it had been created independently without illegal copying. But just four months later, attorneys for the pair of accusers notified a federal judge Friday (Nov. 11) that the two sides had “reached an agreement in principle to settle their dispute in its entirety.”

Random Ramblings

  • REMINDER: Written comments to the U.S. Copyright Office can be submitted by Nov 25 regarding their termination rights proposal under the Music Modernization Act.
  • R&B & Hip-Hop reign supreme with the 2023 Grammy nominations .
  • How gaming could reshape music distribution.
  • The art of networking in the music industry.
  • Sped-up songs are taking over TikTok and driving songs up the charts.
  • Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved" is UK's most-streamed song of all time.

Who is Exploration?

Exploration is proud to be the company of choice to administer much of the world’s most important media. We rely on advanced technology and a competent, full-time staff of 70+ people to help our clients and partners better control their data and collect their money.

We wrote a free book on how the music business works.

To see who is collecting your royalties, request a free copyright audit.