Copyright and Music Publishing Flashcards
7 cards from real Songwriters practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Copyright and Music Publishing flashcards as text
What does a music publisher primarily do for a songwriter?
Answer: Exploit, license, and collect royalties for compositions
A publisher pitches songs, licenses them, and collects the income generated by the compositions.
In a traditional publishing deal, the standard royalty split is typically what?
Answer: 50/50 between writer and publisher
A classic publishing deal splits income 50% to the writer's share and 50% to the publisher's share.
What is a 'co-publishing' deal?
Answer: The writer retains part of the publisher's share, often 75/25 in their favor
In a co-publishing deal the writer keeps the full writer's share plus part of the publisher's share, often netting around 75%.
What does an administration (admin) deal give the publisher?
Answer: Rights to license and collect for a fee, while the writer keeps ownership
An admin deal lets a publisher handle licensing and collection for a percentage fee without taking ownership of the copyrights.
A publishing 'advance' is best described as what?
Answer: A recoupable prepayment against future royalties
An advance is money paid up front that the publisher recoups from the writer's future royalty earnings.
What is the U.S. PRO 'consent decree' designed to do?
Answer: Regulate how ASCAP and BMI license to prevent anticompetitive behavior
Consent decrees govern ASCAP and BMI licensing practices to address antitrust concerns.
An audio sample used without clearance can expose a songwriter to liability for what?
Answer: Copyright infringement of both the composition and the master
Unauthorized sampling can infringe both the underlying composition and the sound recording, requiring two clearances.