Who typically owns the recording copyright?

• A. The songwriter and the publisher.
• B. The venue.
• C. The artist and the record company.
• D. The distributor.

Answer: (C)

Recording copyright covers the master recording—the fixed sound of a performance. In standard practice, the party that finances and fixes the recording owns that master, which is the record company. Contracts usually assign ownership of the master to the label, with the artist receiving royalties and a license to exploit the recording. Because the artist contributes the performance and the record company funds the production, ownership of the recording rights is typically described as belonging to both the artist and the record company. The underlying song’s copyright, however, belongs to the songwriter and publisher, not to the recording itself, and the venue or distributor do not own the master under ordinary arrangements.