Who owns a song? Music copyright ownership explained

The question of who owns a song has no single answer. It depends on how the song was created, whether it was written alone or collaboratively, whether it was recorded under a label deal, whether publishing rights have been assigned to a publisher, and whether any of these relationships are documented in writing.

Understanding the default position — who owns what in the absence of any agreement — is the starting point for any conversation about music rights.

The two separate copyrights in every recorded song

A recorded song contains two entirely separate copyrights, recognised independently under UK law (Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988):

The composition copyright covers the underlying musical work — the melody, lyrics, chord structure, and arrangement. It exists independently of any recording. If you whistle a tune you composed or write lyrics on a page, composition copyright exists from that moment. It belongs to the author: the songwriter.

The sound recording copyright covers the specific recorded version of the composition — the audio file as captured in a studio or recording session. It exists independently of the composition. The same song recorded by five different artists creates five different sound recordings, each with its own separate copyright.

These two copyrights generate different income through different channels, last for different periods, and can be — and frequently are — owned by different people. The full distinction is covered in master rights vs publishing rights.

Who owns the composition copyright by default

Under CDPA 1988, composition copyright belongs to the author of the musical work — the songwriter who created the melody and the lyricist who wrote the words. If the same person wrote both, they own the composition copyright entirely. If different people wrote the music and the lyrics, both are joint authors with shared ownership.

Copyright is created automatically the moment the work is fixed in a tangible form. In the UK, there is no registration requirement for copyright to exist. The moment a melody is recorded as a voice note, written down, or saved as a DAW project, composition copyright exists in that work.

For co-written songs, the default position under UK law is joint ownership — but this does not automatically mean equal shares. If two songwriters contributed unequally to a composition, the shares should reflect that contribution. This is precisely why documenting the split agreement before release matters: the split document creates the formal record of who owns what percentage, which the default legal position does not provide.

When composition copyright moves away from the songwriter

The composition copyright can be transferred in two ways:

Assignment (transfer of ownership): the songwriter signs a publishing deal that assigns all or part of the copyright to a publisher. Under a full publishing deal, 100% transfers. Under a co-publishing deal, 50% transfers. The assigned portion belongs to the publisher for the deal term.

Licence (permission without transfer): the songwriter retains ownership but grants permission for specific uses — for example, a sync licence grants permission to use the composition in a specific film without transferring any ownership. The composition copyright remains with the songwriter or publisher throughout.

Most publishing deals involve assignment for the deal term, followed by reversion at term end (if a reversion clause is present) or continued publisher ownership (if it is not).

Who owns the sound recording copyright by default

Sound recording copyright under CDPA 1988 belongs to the producer of the sound recording — in legal terms, the person who makes the arrangements necessary for the recording to be made. In practice, this is typically the person or company who funds and controls the recording session.

For an independent artist who records in their own studio or hires a recording facility at their own expense: the artist owns the sound recording copyright.

For a signed artist whose recording costs are funded by a label: the label typically owns the sound recording copyright. The artist's recording deal assigns the master rights to the label in exchange for a royalty share.

For an artist who records collaboratively with a producer who contributes creatively to the recording: the default position on ownership is less clear and should be documented in a producer agreement that specifies who owns the master.

How long copyright lasts in the UK

Composition copyright: the author's life plus 70 years. For a co-authored work where the music and lyrics were created by different people specifically for each other (a song from a musical, for example), the term runs for 70 years from the death of the last surviving author. The music and lyrics remain separate copyrights but share the same duration.

Sound recording copyright: 70 years from the date the recording is published (made available to the public). For unpublished recordings, 50 years from the date the recording was made.

These are long timeframes. A song written today could remain in copyright until approximately 2165 if the author lives a typical lifespan. The decisions made about publishing and rights management today have consequences for generations.

Works created in employment

An important exception to the general principle of author ownership: works created by an employee in the course of their employment belong to the employer, not the employee (CDPA 1988, sections 9–11, confirmed GOV.UK).

For a composer employed specifically to write music for a production company, the production company may own the copyright in the resulting compositions. For a session musician employed to record a specific part, the employer may own the sound recording copyright.

For independent artists and freelance songwriters — which covers most independent musicians — this exception does not apply. The copyright in your music belongs to you.

The practical implications

Understanding who owns what copyright determines:

• Who can license the music (for sync, cover versions, sampling, film use) and collect the resulting fees.
• Who collects royalties from PROs (PRS for Music in the UK for composition performance royalties; PPL for recording neighbouring rights).
• Who can approve or refuse commercial uses.
• Who benefits from the copyright over its full term.
• What happens in the event of a dispute between collaborators.

For independent artists, the clearest way to secure and document ownership is:

Register with PRS for Music as a songwriter member. Register every released composition. This links your identity to your compositions in the royalty system — see how to register your music with PRS.

Document splits for every collaborative work before release. TYFRA Vault's split proposal system creates timestamped, all-parties-accepted records of who owns what percentage of each composition and recording.

Use TYFRA Contracts for any agreements that affect your rights — publishing deals, sync licences, producer agreements, session musician contracts. The signed document is the record of what was agreed.

TYFRA as rights documentation infrastructure

TYFRA Vault stores the information that constitutes your rights record: ISRC, ISWC, songwriter credits, PRO affiliation, publishing and mechanical splits, all accepted by collaborators with timestamps. This is the infrastructure that makes your ownership verifiable.

TYFRA Contracts documents the agreements that transfer or license those rights — sync licences, publishing deals, producer agreements — with digital signing that creates an evidential record of what was agreed and when.

TYFRA Finance tracks the income every right generates — composition performance royalties from PRS, mechanical income, sync fees, and neighbouring rights from PPL — across all revenue streams in one dashboard.