the-basics

The Team

Why We Wrote This Guide Successful and well-known artists function like businesses. As with any business, there is a team of people working together toward a »

Types of Music Releases

Why We Wrote This Guide Albums, singles, LPs, EPs, mixtapes, compilations — the music industry uses a whole host of classifications for commercial releases. As technology evolves »

Copyright Registration

Why We Wrote This Guide The American government and others offer legal protections to those who create intellectual property. This guide has been written to explain »

Major vs. Indie

Why We Wrote This Guide The terms “major” and “indie” (independent) can be applied to many different entities in the music business. While we most often »

What is a Record Label?

Why We Wrote This Guide Record labels have been around nearly as long as recorded sound. For years, being signed to a label was thought to »

What is a Music Publisher?

Why we wrote this guide The purpose of this guide is to give the reader a fundamental understanding of what a music publisher does, as well »

What is a Recording Artist?

Why We Wrote This Guide Recording artists and composers create the foundations of the music industry: compositions and recordings. Gaining insight into recording artists and composers' »

What is a Songwriter?

Why we wrote this guide While there has never truly been a standardized or traditional approach to becoming a songwriter and making a living as one, »

What is a Sound Recording?

Why We Wrote This Guide Any time someone listens to a recorded song, they are listening to a sound recording. Sound recordings themselves are copyrightable. However, »

What is a Composition?

Why we wrote this guide The purpose of this guide is to provide a detailed account of what a composition is and to further elucidate the »

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