Music Industry Copyright Basics

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms, legal concepts, rights, and definitions from the lecture on music copyright.

Copyright

A "limited duration monopoly" designed to promote the progress of "useful arts" by giving creators exclusive rights to their works for a period of time, as defined in the U.S. Constitution.

Tangible Form Requirement

Under U.S. Copyright law, a copyright is automatically created as soon as a work is made into a tangible copy; works not fixed in tangible form are not protected.

Musical Composition Copyright

A copyright that covers the melody and lyrics of a composition, typically owned by the composer or their publisher.

Sound Recording Copyright

A copyright that covers a specific recording of a musical composition, typically owned by the performer or their record label.

Music Publishing

The branch of the music business centered on the monetization of musical composition copyrights.

Interpolation

The act of taking a melody or lyric from an existing work and incorporating it into a new composition.

Sampling

The act of taking a portion of a sound recording and incorporating it into a new recording.

Chord Progressions and Rhythms (Copyright Status)

Musical elements that are not typically covered by copyright due to a limited number of choices, unless the prosecution successfully proves they are unique to that specific song.

Phonorecords

In U.S. Copyright Law, any fixed audio recording, regardless of medium.

Copies (Music Copyright)

In U.S. Copyright Law, specific visual reproductions such as sheet music.

Exclusive Rights of a Copyright Owner

The statutory rights granted to a copyright owner: to reproduce the work, distribute copies, perform the work publicly, make derivative works, display the work publicly, and sell these rights.

Right to Reproduce

The exclusive copyright right to recreate a work in copies or phonorecords, such as printing sheet music or burning audio onto CDs.

Right to Distribute

The exclusive copyright right to transfer ownership or control of copies/phonorecords to the public by sale, rental, lease, or lending.

Right to Perform Publicly

The exclusive copyright right to recite, play, or broadcast a work in public, live at a concert, on broadcast radio, or over digital audio transmission.

Right to Make Derivative Works

The exclusive copyright right to create new works based on the original, such as making arrangements that alter fundamental character, remixing, or sampling.

Right to Display Publicly

The exclusive copyright right to show a work in public, such as exhibiting sheet music in a museum.

Circular 33

A U.S. Copyright Office circular titled "Works Not Protected by Copyright," which lists items excluded from copyright protection such as ideas, titles, short phrases, and familiar symbols.