Gigs & business
Copyright
A recorded track carries at least two separate copyrights: one in the composition — the notes and words — and one in the specific recording. They are frequently owned by different people, and both apply at once.
In practice
Two copyrights, usually two owners: the composition and the recording. Almost every rights question starts here.
When something is unclear, ask which of the two you are dealing with. A sample clearance is normally two conversations; a takedown names one of them; a collection society usually administers one side. This is a description of how the system is structured rather than advice about your situation — the details differ by country, by contract and by platform, and anything with money or a release attached is a question for someone qualified in your jurisdiction rather than for a glossary.
2
Copyrights in one track
Composition
The notes and the words
Recording
That specific performance
Where these come from: A structural description of music copyright as it operates in the UK, EU and US as of 2026. Not legal advice; rights and their handling differ by jurisdiction and by contract.
Why it matters
Almost every confusing thing about music rights comes from this split. A label may own the recording while a publisher administers the composition, which is why permission from one is not permission at all, and why a platform can clear one and still act on the other.
It is also why buying a track gives you nothing beyond the right to listen to it. The purchase is a copy; the copyrights stay exactly where they were, which is the foundation under everything on the mix-licensing, takedown and content-matching pages.
Frequently asked
Does buying a track give me any rights to use it?+
It gives you a copy to listen to. The composition and recording copyrights stay with whoever held them, which is why purchase is not permission for anything beyond playback.
Why do I need two clearances for one track?+
Because there are two copyrights and often two owners — one for the composition and one for the recording. Permission from one covers only that one.
Does copyright work the same everywhere?+
No. The two-copyright structure is broadly shared across the UK, EU and US, but terms, exceptions and enforcement differ by country, which is why anything consequential needs local advice.
Related terms
Royalties
Royalties are payments to rights holders for the use of music. Different uses generate different kinds — public performance, broadcast, streaming, reproduction — and each flows through its own system to a different set of people.
Mix licensing
A recorded DJ mix contains other people’s recordings and compositions, so putting it online is a use that needs permission. Some platforms hold blanket licences covering it; others do not, and the difference decides what happens.
PRS
PRS for Music is a UK collecting society that licenses the public performance of compositions and distributes the money to writers and publishers. Venues hold the licence; the DJ playing there does not need one.
DMCA
The DMCA is US legislation that gives platforms protection from liability if they remove material when a rights holder notifies them. In practice it is the mechanism behind takedown notices on most large services.
Explore: Can you release a mashup · Mix licensing · Royalties · All DJ terms