Over the past year, several musicians have made noise by either selling off or intentionally devaluing their master recordings.
Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks and Neil Young are some of the biggest artists who made headlines for selling off their musical catalogs. On the other end of the spectrum, there's Taylor Swift who has topped the charts with the release of re-recordings of her old songs as a way to gain ownership of her music.
So what does it mean to have ownership of a part or all of an artist's work?
People make money, or royalties off music by owning some part of the song. To understand that, there has to be an understanding of copyrights.
When it comes to music, there are two types: There’s the composition, which deals with the lyrics and melody of the song. Then there’s the sound recording, which is the version or recording of the song the audience is hearing.
If you own the master song recording — also known as the master — you can license third parties to use the song in TV, film, commercials, etc.
When thinking about masters, think source material from which copies of any recording are made — this includes streams, vinyl, and CDs — remember those?
In Swift’s case, she owns at least part of the composition of most of the songs she wrote, but she does not own the masters. She tried to get them, but businessman Scooter Braun purchased the label she was with when she recorded the songs. So, she re-recorded them.
Now, lets be clear: re-releasing new versions of her older songs doesn’t get rid of the original masters. Those still exist. But Swift encouraged fans to stream the new recordings — known as Taylor’s Versions — over the old ones, and that’s exactly what happened.
“Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” knocked the old version off the Billboard charts and the nation’s largest chain of radio stations, iHeartRadio, said their stations will only play “Taylor's Version” of songs.
Swift is known as a pretty gifted songwriter, having sole songwriter credits for many of her songs, but she didn’t own part of her masters. So, how does that happen?
Intellectual rights attorneys say it’s not uncommon to have that be part of the negotiations with an artist’s record label. Swift re-recording some of her biggest hits is a way to devalue and, essentially, supplant those originals — and she isn’t the first to do this.
Def Leppard, the Chameleons and Electric Light Orchestra have all re-recorded songs to create new masters. And just last month, R&B singer Ashanti said she plans to re-record her self-titled debut album.
FAQs
Traditionally, under a contract between a record label and artist, the record label retains the rights in such master recordings in perpetuity, or until the expiry of the copyright of these recordings. In return, an artist receives royalties from the commercialization of these rights.
Who owns the Masters to Taylor Swift's music? ›
She also officially announced that she would be re-recording her first six albums, which was major news for Swifties. Long story short: She survived (and dare I say, thrived?). As of right now, Shamrock Holdings still owns the masters of Taylor Swift's original album masters.
Do independent artists own their masters? ›
100% ownership of your music: Independent artists own the master rights to their music. They also have the freedom to negotiate music licensing and publishing deals. Moreover, they don't have to worry about confusing contracts, expensive lawyers, and signing over their music rights.
Why do artists re record their masters? ›
Many artists seek to re-record their music as a means of gaining greater control over their works, particularly when faced with disagreements or conflicts with their original labels.
How did Taylor lose the rights to her music? ›
Taylor recorded her first six albums pursuant to a recording agreement with a company called Big Machine Records, and because of the industry-standard-for-a-new-artist contractual language in Big Machine's recording agreement, Big Machine ended up owning the copyright in all those master recordings.
Does Jay-Z own his master's? ›
Jay-Z has said that he would never sell his masters as getting the rights to them was the “fight of my life”. The 53-year-old American rapper and record producer, real name Shawn Corey Carter, spoke to CBS Morning's Gayle King about his music career and why it is important that he owns his masters.
Are Taylor Swift's masters worth anything? ›
Swift announced she would re-record the six albums and own the new masters herself. In October 2020, Braun sold the old masters to the Disney family's investment firm, Shamrock Holdings, for $405 million under the condition that he keeps profiting from the masters.
Who owns Katy Perry Masters? ›
What albums are included in the deal, and who owns the masters to Katy Perry's music? The deal covers Katy Perry's five studio albums released between 2008 and 2020: "One of the Boys," "Teenage Dream," "Prism," "Witness," and "Smile." The masters of these albums are owned by Universal Music Group.
How much does Taylor Swift pay her band? ›
Based on the data presented and considering the industry standards, it's reasonable to estimate that, on average, a member of Taylor Swift's band could be making approximately $200,000 to $300,000 annually. This estimate includes both their base salary and the bonuses they receive for being part of Swift's tour.
Does Beyonce own her own masters? ›
In the case of Beyonce, she reportedly regained ownership of her masters in 2022. This is a significant achievement, as it gives her greater control over her music, her career, and her legacy. It also sets an example for other artists who are seeking to own and control their work.
Since Jackson owned his masters (he likely got them back in the 1980s or early 1990s, when a bunch of Sony megastar artists individually negotiated to eventually reclaim ownership of their masters in exchange for re-signing recording contracts with the major record company), he would receive the bulk of that revenue.
What is the 35 year rule in music? ›
A US Copyright becomes eligible for rights reclamation 35 years after it is assigned to another entity (56 years for copyrights granted before 1978). This gives a songwriter or an estate the option of reclaiming the copyrights they've assigned to others.
Can Taylor Swift still sing her old songs? ›
With regards to Taylor Swift, she only owns the composition of her earlier albums; she does not have the rights to her masters. From a practical standpoint, this means she is unable to sing her old songs without the permission of the owner of her masters, who, in this case, is Big Machine Records.
Why can Taylor Swift re-record? ›
In a nutshell; because Taylor Swift wrote all her songs, she retained the copyright in the music and the lyrics. This gives her the right to use those elements of the original work to re-record the songs and create a new master recording - one whose copyright she owns.
Why did Taylor Swift redo her songs? ›
She signed when she was 14, and the record label owned her music. But then, they sold her entire catalog to Scooter Braun without notice or giving her a chance to own it. So the only way for her to legally own her music, which is basically her life story, was to re-record her albums.
Should artists own their masters? ›
Why is it important to own my masters? As an artist, owning your master recordings gives you the legal rights to freely appropriate and maximize your opportunities to make money. It gives you full control over your music.
Why do artists not own their own music? ›
The traditional music industry often structures deals so that the label, not the artist, owns the masters of all songs created during that record deal. In exchange for signing over the master rights to their recordings, artists are often given an advance and a royalty percentage from all profits made off the music.
Why don't rappers own their masters? ›
The business strategy for many record labels is to recoup their lost income by re-using mastered sounds from other songs in other projects. In the last few years, there has been a growing trend of artists selling their masters, and below are some rappers who don't own their masters.
