Definitions
An intellectual property owner's legal right.
What is copyright?
This term refers to a platform that allows users to watch or listen to content/music in real-time over the internet, often through a subscription model.
What is a streaming service?
This term refers to the practice of taking a portion of a sound recording and reusing it in a different song or piece, often requiring permission from the original copyright owner.
What is Sampling?
This type of right grants musicians compensation when their music is played in public, such as on the radio or in a restaurant.
What are performance rights?
This organization was founded in 1914 and collects royalties for songwriters and publishers when their music is performed publicly.
What is ASCAP?
One or more works that are created from preexisting works.
What is a derivative work?
This term refers to the payment made to artists and record labels for each stream of their music on a streaming platform, often a fraction of a cent per play.
What is a streaming royalty?
These versions of songs are recorded or performed by artists other than the original composer or performer, often requiring a mechanical license for distribution.
What is Cover Songs?
This is the term for a license that allows the licensee to use a piece of music in a visual piece, such as a movie, TV show, or commercial.
What is a Synchronization License?
In addition to ASCAP, this other major performance rights organization operates on a not-for-profit basis, representing songwriters, composers, and music publishers.
What is BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.)?
Something that restricts the amount of mechanical royalties record labels pay to performing artists for songs they have written, co-written, or own.
What is the Controlled Composition Clause?
This digital fingerprinting system, used by platforms like YouTube, helps identify and manage copyrighted content uploaded by users, allowing copyright holders to monitor and protect their material.
What is Content ID?
This doctrine allows for the limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder, typically for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, or research.
What is Fair Use?
These are the organizations that are responsible for licensing public performances and collecting royalties from broadcasters and streaming platforms.
What are PROs?
This is the term for the type of royalty that is paid to songwriters and publishers when a song is reproduced, such as on a CD or digital download.
What are mechanical royalties?
Something that allows copyright-protected materials to be used without permission from the copyright owner.
What is a compulsory license?
This organization, abbreviated as RIAA, represents the interests of the recording industry in the United States, including issuing certifications for music sales and pursuing legal action against copyright infringement.
What is Recording Industry Association of America?
This legal notice is sent to online platforms to request the removal of infringing content, typically citing violation of copyright law.
What is a Takedown Notice?
In addition to performance rights organizations like ASCAP and BMI, this organization represents the interests of record labels and recording artists regarding performance rights.
What is SoundExchange?
This PRO is known for being an invitation-only organization, often representing high-profile artists and music catalogs.
What is SESAC?
One party agrees to compensate the other for losses and damages suffered by the other party under a legally binding agreement.
What is the Indemnification Clause?
This U.S. legislation, often abbreviated as DMCA, was enacted in 1998 to address copyright issues arising from digital media and the internet.
What is Digital Millennium Copyright Act?
In copyright law, these damages are predetermined amounts set by law and awarded to the copyright holder, regardless of the actual damages suffered, in cases of infringement.
What is Statutory Damages?
What term refers to the licenses obtained by venues, broadcasters, and digital platforms to play music publicly, granting them the right to perform any song in a PRO's repertoire?
What are blanket licenses or blanket agreements?
This is the name of the MRO that was launched in 2021 to administer the mechanical licenses for streaming and download services in the US.
What is The MLC?