Music Rights & Royalties Glossary

A 12-character global identifier for a single sound recording — the fingerprint that follows a master through every DSP, society, and statement.

The ISO identifier for a musical composition — the song itself, separate from any recording of it.

Two separate copyrights live inside every song: the recording (master) and the underlying work (composition). They generate different royalties and pay different people.

The written agreement that records who owns what percentage of a song — songwriters, producers, featured artists. Without one, royalties get stuck.

The royalty owed to songwriters and publishers every time a composition is reproduced — physically, digitally, or via on-demand streaming.

Royalties paid to performers and master owners when a recording is publicly broadcast or performed — radio, TV, public venues, satellite, webcasters.

An organization that licenses public-performance rights on behalf of songwriters and publishers, then collects and distributes the resulting royalties.

The US non-profit created by the Music Modernization Act to collect and distribute streaming mechanical royalties to songwriters and publishers.

The US organization that collects digital-radio neighboring-rights royalties for master owners and featured performers.

The license required to pair a piece of music with visual media — film, TV, ads, games, social platforms.