Master rights

What are master rights?

Master rights are all rights attached to a sound recording giving control over how that sound recording is used, including the right to reproduce, distribute, make available, and publicly perform it.

This applies, for example, when sound recordings are streamed, downloaded, or purchased as vinyl records or CDs. It also gives its owner the right to collect royalties from CMOs when the sound recording is played on radio, television, webcasting, or in public places such as bars, restaurants, clubs, or shops.

These rights are all part of the economic rights protected by copyright law.

Explore more on our page on Rights in Performances and Sound Recordings.

Who owns the master rights?

Master rights belong to the person or company that made the sound recording – the owner of the sound recording, sometimes called record producer, who often is the record label that financed the entire creation process. However, independent self-releasing artists who create their own sound recordings also own their master rights. The legal term for the sound recording owner is the phonogram producer.

To learn more, visit our pages on Sound Recording Owners.

Image credit: Martin Fabricius Rasmussen