Tuesday, August 15th, 2023.
Hey, it’s TJ Miller, “you want some game?” Let's #tipundathehat!
For the best indie music from indie artists, click, and follow Indie Artist Of The Week Unda The Hat. This week, Hayley RaShel Be sure to hit the like button and follow this amazing group of indie artists. They will be big time soon.
Who’s the real owner? - Let’s go -
So first and foremost before you want to know who owns something, you might want to know what it is. A master recording, usually just called the master, is the original recording of a song, including the performance, the mix, and the mastering. The master recording is owned by the person or company that paid for the recording, which is usually the record label or the artist themselves. The master is the final version of your single, EP, or album that is ready to be released to the public. It is usually created by a record label or music production company (remember that from last week?), and it is the highest quality version of the project. The master recording is used to create all other versions of the song(s) or album, such as CDs, vinyl records, digital downloads, and streams. The master recording is also used for licensing purposes. For example, if a company wants to use a song in a commercial, TV show, jingle, industrial, or national ad, they will need to license the master recording from the copyright holder.
The master recording is a valuable asset for the artist, the writer, the publisher, the label, and the copyright owner. It is the basis for all future revenue streams from the song or album. If you are just the singer or rapper, you have to sit this one out, you gets nothing.
At the end of the day, it’s like anything else, you pay for it you own it. Now I could one-line this whole conversation with whoever pays for the production and studio time is the owner of the masters, you, the production company, the label or whoever secures the bag, but what fun would that be, right?
So let’s look at it like this, if you own the copyright to a song called “Hot Nights,” but your friend Israel wants to record the song, he needs your permission. Once he has that he can hire producers, beat makers, musicians, or whomever to help him record the song.
The producer may or may not own the master recording, depending on the terms of the agreement between Israel and the producer.
It is important for you to understand who owns the master recordings of your, songs, as this can have a significant impact on your ability to make money from your music. If you own your own master recordings you have more control over how your music is used and can potentially earn more money from licensing and other revenue streams. There are some exceptions, like a work-for-hire. This is because, in a work-for-hire, the copyright of the work is automatically transferred to the employer. So, if an artist signs a contract with a record label, the label will own the master recording of any songs that the artist records for the label. Now, if an artist creates a work for hire outside of their employment relationship, they may retain the copyright to the work. Additionally, if an artist negotiates a different agreement with their label, they may be able to retain ownership of the master recording.
But here’s a note, if you don’t have a clue as to whom to submit your music to or how to get it to the right places it can be like owning a $20 million Messiah Antonio Stradivari violin and you can’t play or even know how to hold it; kindah becomes worthless huh? Just because you own your master, don’t let your music become worthless.
This week's #IAOTW - Independent Artists Of The Week is - Hayley RaShel. 
Hailing from Mississippi and managed by star maker Qadree El-Amin of SouthPaw Entertainment. Hayley is poised to be a huge part of the next cycle of superstars.
Click on her name link, scroll down to their picture, then click and support. You won’t believe how talented she is.
For more information on this or to hire Unda The Hat as your brand or label consultant send a message via undathehat.com. See you next week!!