What does song copyright cover and who typically owns it?

What does song copyright cover and who typically owns it?

• A. Lyrics only; owned by the publisher.
• B. The specific recording; owned by the artist.
• C. The melody only; owned by the producer.
• D. Lyrics and musical composition; owned by the songwriter/composer; administered by a music publishing company.

Answer: (D)

Song copyright covers the underlying musical work: the lyrics and the musical composition (melody, harmony, rhythm) as fixed in written form or a recording. The authoring songwriter or composer owns these rights (often jointly if there are multiple writers). A music publishing company typically administers these rights on the songwriter’s behalf, handling licenses and collecting royalties. This differs from the recording itself, which is a separate copyright owned by the performer and/or record label. So, lyrics and musical composition owned by the songwriter/composer and administered by a music publishing company is the correct description.

Song copyright covers the underlying musical work: the lyrics and the musical composition (melody, harmony, rhythm) as fixed in written form or a recording. The authoring songwriter or composer owns these rights (often jointly if there are multiple writers). A music publishing company typically administers these rights on the songwriter’s behalf, handling licenses and collecting royalties. This differs from the recording itself, which is a separate copyright owned by the performer and/or record label. So, lyrics and musical composition owned by the songwriter/composer and administered by a music publishing company is the correct description.