What are credits?
Credits are the public acknowledgment of someone’s contribution to the creation of a An original musical composition with or without lyrics., a live In the context of music, when a musical work is played live or on a sound recording., or Typically, the recorded performance of a musical work protected as a phonogram under copyright law.. You may, for example, see credits in the liner notes displayed on CD or vinyl covers or on some Digital Service Provider: an online platform that provides streaming or download services to consumers. platforms. Credits are important to you, the creator, and your fans, but they play a more important role than just that of public acknowledgment. They can be a crucial part of the payment process.
Why is it important to have the right credits?
Credits mean those listening to your The term "song" does not have a legal definition. It is frequently used to mean "musical work” – the composition and lyrics (if any) created by songwriters and composers. However, it could also refer to a “sound recording” (a specific recording of a musical work), or a “performance” (a live performance of a musical work). know it’s yours and credits help you get paid when your musical work or sound recording is used. Without the proper credits in place a Anyone who contributes to creating or performing a musical work, a live performance, or a sound recording. may find it difficult, or even impossible, to claim payments they are entitled to. Along with other Data that describes other data, for example, information that describes creators, other rights holders, musical works, and sound recordings., correct credits should be attached to every musical work and sound recording.
Note that failure to credit someone on a musical work or sound recording can lead to disputes over ownership or income, including Using a protected musical work or sound recording without the permission of the rights holders in cases where such permission is required by copyright law. and breach of contract.
And removing metadata can also lead to copyright infringement disputes, since metadata is commonly protected as Information relating to rights, for example, the copyright holder's name or their share of ownership in a musical work or sound recording. by Technological tools that restrict uses of musical works, performances, or sound recordings that are not authorized by the rights holders or permitted by law. under National laws that protect creators' and other rights holders' moral and economic rights in musical works, performances, and sound recordings..
Head over to our Resolving Disputes topic for more information on that.
When does a creator need to be credited?
Creators who perform live, make an A creative contribution to a musical work that is sufficiently distinct from any pre-existing musical work contribution to a musical work or sound recording can all own a share of the The controls creators or rights holders have over what they have created or produced and over their identity and image. in the musical work or sound recording, and therefore may have to be credited.
However, not all creators are always credited. The type of contribution made, where, and under what agreements or law, and how the song is performed or used can all impact who will eventually be credited for their contribution to a musical work, live performance, or sound recording.
Explore our topics, Songwriting, and Recording to learn more about the creator's roles and their contributions.
How do you properly credit someone?
For live performances, it’s good practice to credit musicians, singers, and other In the context of music, a creator playing a musical work live or on a sound recording. on stage, as well as A person who makes an original contribution to the creation of a musical composition or lyrics. if those are not the In the context of music, a solo performer or group of performers who perform a musical work live or recorded. or a band member performing. But it all depends on context and industry practice.
In order to credit properly, the names of all contributors to a song, including songwriters, performers and other A person or company that has Intellectual Property Rights in a musical work, performance or sound recording, and including their Interested Party Information: a unique international identifier for songwriters and music publishers., International Performer Number: a unique international identifier for performers. and International Standard Name Identifier: a unique identifier for people, organizations, and companies involved in creative activities. identifiers, should be collected in the metadata when Submitting information relating to musical works and sound recordings to an appropriate registration body, for example, copyright ownership information submitted to a Collective Management Organization or copyright office. and Delivering sound recordings to DSPs and physical retailers. a musical work or sound recording. As a creator, you have a critical role to play in that process.
Keep reading this topic to learn more about Metadata and Identifiers.
It’s also important to capture the right information at the right time. For example, you’ll want to know exactly which version of the musical work or sound recording was used in the A term used to describe a sound recording in its final stages of audio processing and adjustments, aka mixing, before mastering. of the sound recording. You don’t want to be crediting a musician from an earlier recording session when it was actually a different musician playing in a later recording session that made it onto the final mix.
This sounds easy enough to manage. But remember, writing and recording a musical work can happen over long periods of time, sometimes years, in many studios located in different countries, and with many people involved. It’s easy to lose track and credit the wrong person, or fail to credit at all, so remember to agree on Also sometimes referred to as shares, the portion of ownership a rights holder has or the portion of income they are entitled to. with fellow creators and record credits as early as possible and in any case before your song is released.
Image credit: Bokeh Street