Master Rights vs Publishing Rights

Music rights are usually split into two streams: master rights and publishing rights. They cover different things, and they are paid to different people.

Master rights cover the sound recording itself: the specific recording of the music. The artist or label usually owns master rights, depending on the contract.

Publishing rights cover the musical work: the composition, the lyrics, and the underlying melody. The songwriter or composer usually owns publishing rights, unless there is a written agreement otherwise.

Both streams can be owned by different people. A producer might own master rights. A songwriter might own publishing rights. The two streams are paid separately and are reported separately.

The way to understand a release without getting lost in the categories is to ask two questions: who owns the recording, and who owns the composition? The first is master. The second is publishing. They should be answered before the release ships.

Good rights handling makes the release clear. A release with ambiguous rights is a release that will be corrected later, and corrected later is expensive later.