Master recording

A master recording, or simply a master, is the original recording—including post-recording mixes and production edits—of an audio performance, from which all analog and digital copies of the audio are derived.^[1]^[2] The term refers only to the recorded performance of a song; it does not cover the composition of recorded material, which is a separate copyright that belongs to the songwriter unless ownership of the copyright is transferred or sold to a separate entity.^[3]

References

^ "Sheryl Crow: Universal Studios fire destroyed all my master tapes". www.bbc.com. 2019-06-25. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
^ Passman, Donald S. (2006). All you need to know about the music business (6th ed.; [rev. and updated] ed.). New York: Free Press. ISBN 978-0-7432-9318-1.
^ Osborne, Richard (2023). Owning the masters: a history of sound recording copyright. New York London Oxford New Delhi Sydney: Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-5013-4593-7.

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[1] "Sheryl Crow: Universal Studios fire destroyed all my master tapes". www.bbc.com. 2019-06-25. Retrieved 2025-12-08.

[2] Passman, Donald S. (2006). All you need to know about the music business (6th ed.; [rev. and updated] ed.). New York: Free Press. ISBN 978-0-7432-9318-1.

[3] Osborne, Richard (2023). Owning the masters: a history of sound recording copyright. New York London Oxford New Delhi Sydney: Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-5013-4593-7.

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