Why is it risky to credit a non-writer as a songwriter?

Why is it risky to credit a non-writer as a songwriter?

• A. It could cause tax reporting confusion.
• B. It gives them a permanent share of every future royalty payment from that song forever.
• C. It may invalidate the underlying copyright.
• D. It has no legal consequences.

Answer: (B)

In music publishing, who is listed as a songwriter on a work determines who gets a share of the royalties from that work. If you credit someone as a songwriter who didn’t actually contribute to the writing, you’re giving them a legally recognized claim to part of every future payment tied to that song. That obligation isn’t just for today—once the credit exists in the registrations and royalty distribution systems, it creates a lasting entitlement to a portion of all future royalties (mechanical, performance, sync, etc.) for that work. Correcting that mistake later can be complex and costly, and disputes over authorship can persist across PROs, publishers, and licenses, potentially depriving the true writer of earnings or forcing settlements. So the main risk is introducing a permanent or long-lasting entitlement to royalties for someone who didn’t contribute. Tax quirks can arise, and misattributing authorship doesn’t invalidate the copyright, and the statement that there are no legal consequences isn’t accurate.

In music publishing, who is listed as a songwriter on a work determines who gets a share of the royalties from that work. If you credit someone as a songwriter who didn’t actually contribute to the writing, you’re giving them a legally recognized claim to part of every future payment tied to that song. That obligation isn’t just for today—once the credit exists in the registrations and royalty distribution systems, it creates a lasting entitlement to a portion of all future royalties (mechanical, performance, sync, etc.) for that work. Correcting that mistake later can be complex and costly, and disputes over authorship can persist across PROs, publishers, and licenses, potentially depriving the true writer of earnings or forcing settlements. So the main risk is introducing a permanent or long-lasting entitlement to royalties for someone who didn’t contribute.

Tax quirks can arise, and misattributing authorship doesn’t invalidate the copyright, and the statement that there are no legal consequences isn’t accurate.