What does a cover artist earn?

What does a cover artist earn?

• A. Recording copyright revenues.
• B. Song composition revenues.
• C. Both recording and song revenues.
• D. Only performance royalties.

Answer: (A)

When a artist records a cover, they create a new master recording of someone else’s song. The money from that recording comes from the master rights, i.e., recording copyright revenues. The underlying song itself (the composition) is owned by the songwriter/publisher, so those publishing royalties go to them unless the cover artist also wrote or owns the publishing. So the best choice reflects that the earnings come from the recording, not the song’s composition.

When a artist records a cover, they create a new master recording of someone else’s song. The money from that recording comes from the master rights, i.e., recording copyright revenues. The underlying song itself (the composition) is owned by the songwriter/publisher, so those publishing royalties go to them unless the cover artist also wrote or owns the publishing. So the best choice reflects that the earnings come from the recording, not the song’s composition.