How Does Licensing Work?
Before submitting music to LA Underground Radio, you must own or have permission to use all rights associated with the song, recording and submitted images.
|
Song Criteria |
Music Curation |
What You Need Before Submitting
You must own or be authorized to use all copyright interests connected to your submission. This may include the musical composition, sound recording, performances, artwork and images.
Licensing Examples
You created everything
You wrote, performed, recorded and published the song. You can generally license the work yourself.
You wrote the song with someone else
You and a friend wrote, performed, recorded and published the song. You need your co-writer’s permission before licensing the song.
Other musicians performed on the recording
You wrote the song and recorded it with other musicians. You may need permission from everyone whose performance appears on the recording.
A record label owns the recording
You wrote and performed the song, but a record label recorded or released it. You need permission from the label or the label must submit the song with the necessary authority.
Several parties control the rights
Other musicians performed on the song, a label owns the recording and a publishing company controls the composition. Permission may be required from each rights holder.
Independent Labels
Independent labels must obtain the necessary permission from the artist, performers, songwriters, publishers and any other applicable rights holders before submitting music to LA Underground Radio.
Common Definitions
Artist
A person or group that records a sound recording. A band, rapper or singer may be considered an artist.
Songwriter
A person who writes the musical composition, lyrics or both.
Sound Recording
The recorded performance of a song, sometimes called the master. It is separate from the underlying composition.
Composition
The underlying music and lyrics. It is the song itself, not a particular recording of the song.
Record Label
A company that may represent artists and own or control sound recordings.
Publishing Company
A company that represents songwriters and may own or administer rights in musical compositions.
PRO
A performing rights organization. In the United States, examples include ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR. These organizations represent songwriters and publishers for certain public-performance rights.
SoundExchange
An organization that collects and distributes certain digital-performance royalties for featured artists and sound-recording copyright owners.
Disclaimer
Legal Information Is Not Legal Advice
This material is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not legal advice, should not be treated as legal advice and may not reflect current law or your specific circumstances.
This page is only one source of information. You may wish to consult additional sources or obtain advice from a qualified attorney before making decisions about copyright ownership, permissions or licensing.
LA Underground Radio makes no representation, guarantee or warranty, express or implied, regarding the legal validity, completeness, quality or reliability of the information provided on this page.