# Master recording Also known as: Master, Sound recording copyright, Phonogram > A master recording, or master, is the original fixed recording of a performance from which every copy is made. In copyright law it is protected separately from the song it contains: the master belongs to whoever owns the sound recording — usually a record label, or the artist when self-released — while the composition belongs to its songwriters and publishers. Source: https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/master-recording · Category: Rights and licensing · Last reviewed: 2026-10-02 · License: CC BY 4.0 ## Key facts - **Also called:** Master, sound recording, phonogram - **Copyright symbol:** ℗ (sound recording copyright) - **Typical owner:** Record label, or the artist if self-released - **Identifier:** [ISRC](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/isrc) - **Separate from:** [The musical work (composition)](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/music-publishing) ## Two copyrights in every recorded song Every commercially released recording carries two copyrights. The **musical work** — the melody and lyrics — is owned by the songwriters and administered by their [publishers](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/music-publishing). The **sound recording** — this particular performance, captured and fixed — is the master. The two are licensed separately, paid separately and often owned by entirely different people.[1] On packaging, the sound recording copyright is marked with ℗ (for *phonogram*) and the composition and artwork with ©. ## Who owns the master Whoever pays for and controls the recording usually owns the master. Under a traditional record deal that is the label, in exchange for funding the recording and its marketing and paying the artist a royalty. An independent artist who records and releases their own music owns their masters outright, and earns the master side of streaming income directly through their distributor. Ownership of a master can be sold, licensed or reverted under contract, and the master's [ISRC](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/isrc) follows the recording regardless of who owns it. ## What a master earns The master owner is paid when the recording itself is used: sales and streams through a distributor, a **master use license** when the recording is placed in film, TV or an advertisement (alongside a [sync license](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/synchronization-license) for the composition), digital performance royalties collected by [SoundExchange](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/soundexchange) in the United States, and [neighboring rights](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/neighboring-rights) income in countries that recognize them. ## Master recording versus mastering *Mastering* is the final audio-engineering step that prepares a mix for release. It shares the word but not the meaning: a mastered file is a technical deliverable, while the master recording, in the rights sense, is the copyrighted work regardless of how it was engineered. ## In practice at SNVRKOTICS SNVRKOTICS keeps the master split on each recording and the publishing split on each work as two separate split sheets, each of which must total 100% before it can be saved. ## Questions ### What does it mean to own your masters? It means you own the copyright in your sound recordings, so you control how they are licensed and receive the master side of their income directly, instead of a royalty from a label that owns them. ### Is the master the same as the song? No. The song is the composition, owned by its writers and publishers; the master is one recording of it. A cover version is a new master of the same song. ### What is a master split? The agreed percentage of the master's ownership or income held by each party — for example an artist and a producer who co-own a recording. It is documented separately from the publishing split. ## References 1. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. "17 U.S. Code § 106 — Exclusive rights in copyrighted works." https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/106 ## Related - [Music publishing](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/music-publishing): Music publishing is the business of owning or administering song copyrights: registering works, licensing them and collecting songwriters' royalties. - [International Standard Recording Code](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/isrc): The ISRC is a 12-character code, defined by ISO 3901, that identifies one specific sound recording or music video recording. - [Synchronization license](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/synchronization-license): A synchronization license permits music to be paired with moving images — film, television, advertising, games and online video. - [Split sheet](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/split-sheet): A split sheet is a signed record of who owns what percentage of a song or recording, agreed by every contributor and totaling 100%. - [Neighboring rights](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/neighboring-rights): Neighboring rights pay performers and recording owners when sound recordings are broadcast or played in public, in countries that recognize them. --- Cite as: "Master recording." SNVRKOTICS Wiki, 2026-10-02. https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/master-recording