Main Artist
The main artist, sometimes also referred to as the lead artist, releasing artist, featured artist, or primary artist, is a performer or group of performers To be publicly acknowledged for a contribution to the creation of a musical work, a live performance, or sound recording, for example, listing a songwriter's or performer's name. as the artist mainly featuring on stage or on the sound recording. A main artist can be a solo performer, a band, or an orchestra. These performers can be Without a contractual agreement with a record label and or music publisher artists or Refers to a creator who has a record label or music publisher contract. to a A company that invests in, manufactures, distributes, promotes, and monetizes sound recordings on behalf of the artist..
What rights does a main artist have?
The main artist usually has all or 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 In the context of music, when a musical work is played live or on a sound recording. and the Typically, the recorded performance of a musical work protected as a phonogram under copyright law., as well as the right to be credited as the main artist, though this depends on the terms of the Also referred to as a record deal, a legally enforceable agreement by which an artist gives a record label the right to make recordings of their performances and to commercialize those recordings, usually in exchange for recording services, financing, promotion, and royalty payments.. In addition, if you are the main artist and wrote or co-wrote the musical work, you may also have 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 An original musical composition with or without lyrics. and be entitled to a The acknowledgement of a person for their original contribution to the creation of a musical work..
Explore our Music Creators’ Rights, Rights Transfer and Licensing, and Scope of Protection topics to learn more about rights.
If the main artist is a band, these rights may all be shared between the band members. But that is subject to each member's contributions and their agreements.
Explore both our topics, Songwriting, and Recording, to learn more about band members' roles and how rights and income may be split between them.
Image credit: Jakob Johansson, Parapix