Every song is two copyrights
Here’s the idea that makes the rest of the music business make sense: every song you release is two separate copyrights.
The song itself: the lyrics, the melody, and the music underneath them. It belongs to whoever wrote it, split between the writers. On a song made with a producer, the producer is usually one of the writers.
One particular recording of that song. It belongs to whoever made or paid for the recording. If you recorded it yourself and you’re independent, that’s you.
Why the split matters
The two earn money in different ways, through different people. Streams pay the master through your distributor. The composition earns through P.R.O.s (performance royalties) and through mechanical royalties, and those only reach you if you’ve registered the song. Lots of independent artists collect the first and never the second.
It also explains how covers work. Someone who covers your song makes a new master, but the composition is still yours, so you still get paid as a writer.
Test yourself
Tap a card to flip it.
On a licensed beat
When you write to a beat you licensed, your lyrics and vocal are yours. The beat stays the producer’s, and your licence says how the songwriting share is split and what you can do with the recording. It’s worth reading before you release, so the splits you register match it.