Music Copyright Before Release: What Every Artist Should Check

Before a release ships, the rights should be documented. That means the credits are correct, the ownership is clear, and the identifiers are in place.

The rights checklist: who owns the master, who owns the publishing, who wrote the lyrics, who composed the music, who produced the recording, who mixed and mastered it, and who is credited on the release.

If a person or organisation is involved, the arrangement should be written down. A producer who owns a share of the master should be recorded in the credits and the metadata. A songwriter who transferred publishing rights should be credited.

The most useful habit is a pre-ship rights check. It takes minutes, and it prevents the dispute that would take months to resolve.