Music Copyright Terminology & Definitions
A useful guide of key publishing and copyright terms you may come across using the Blokur platform
There are a lot of different terms when it comes to the world of music copyright. If you’ve recently signed up to a Blokur Search account or are thinking of doing so, this handy guide can help to clarify some of the terms you may come across.
Chain of Title: This refers to the link between the songwriter, collecting and original publisher.
Conflict: A conflict occurs when publishers data regarding a work do not match up. They can occur through different split claims, incorrectly labeling sub-publishers, among many other inconsistencies.
Copyright: A copyright protects the author of a work for a stated period. The right usually lasts until 70 years after the death of the surviving author of the work, to make, dispose of, and otherwise control copies of literary, musical, dramatic, pictorial and other copyrightable works.
IPI: An IPI number is an international identification number assigned to songwriters and publishers by their PRO to uniquely identify them as rights holders.
ISRC: ISRC, the International Standard Recording Code, is the internationally recognized identification tool for sound and music video recordings.
ISWC: The ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code) is a unique, permanent and internationally recognized reference number for the identification of musical works.
Master: A master is referring to a recording of a composition and is usually owned by the artist or record label. Also referred to as “Sound Recording”.
Mechanical Rights: This is the right to reproduce and distribute copyrighted musical compositions into formats such as digital downloads, streams, physical products(CDs, vinyl, cassettes, etc.) and other configurations.
Mechanical & Synch Shares: These shares usually mirror the publishers side of performance shares. These percentages reflect on what publishers can collect on mechanical and synchronization royalties.
MLC: MLC is short for the Mechanical Licensing Collective which was formed from the passing of the Music Modernization Act. This collective is responsible for administering blanket licenses and ensure that royalties are collected and distributed to rights holders.
MRO: A Mechanical Rights Organization (MRO) collects and distributes mechanical royalties on behalf of its members.
Music User: A Music User is the name Blokur uses for people with Blokur Search accounts. They are able to search our 17 million+ song database and request licenses among other features.
Performance Rights: This is the right to perform music in public. Examples of public performances are broadcast and cable television, radio, concerts, nightclubs, restaurants, etc.
Performance Shares: The performance shares are split into two halves, Writer’s Share (50%) and Publisher’s Share (50%). The writer share reflects the amount that the writer contributed to the songs and how much they can collect of performance royalties.
PRO: A Performing Rights Organization (PRO) collects and distributes royalties on behalf of its members when their musical works are used in various types of performances.
Sub-publisher: A sub-publisher is a designation entity chosen by the original publisher, to collect songwriter royalties in a specific territory.
Sync License: A synchronization license authorizes the recording of an author’s musical work onto the soundtrack of an audio/visual work with visual images. Synchronization fees are negotiated and vary according to the popularity of the song and the importance of the song in the production. The fee is often equal to the fee paid for the Master Use License for the sound recording.
Territory: This refers to the country where publishers have control of a work in.
Looking for copyright info for a song or to request a music licence? Sign up to Blokur Search for free HERE
More info on licensing: Music Licensing 101
If you have any questions about Blokur’s services, feel free to reach out to derek@blokur.com
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