Sound recording copyright: History and Key Facts

A sound recording copyright is the copyright in a recorded fixation of sounds, as distinct from the underlying musical, literary (text-based), or dramatic work embodied in the recording. This type of copyright is often represented by the sound recording copyright symbol, ℗ (letter P in a circle).

The Geneva Phonograms Convention (1971) provides the international legal authority for countries to bring sound recordings (which it refers to as phonograms) under national copyright and related rights frameworks. Many common law countries, including the United States and United Kingdom, protect sound recordings under their traditional copyright regimes. Other countries provide protection to performers and producers of phonograms under systems of dedicated neighboring rights.

Copyrightable sound recordings include recorded music, radio programs, audiobooks, recordings of telephone calls, and podcasts. In the music industry, the sound recording copyright, also known as the master recording or master rights, is often owned by a separate entity (such as a record label or recording artist) than the musical composition, which is owned by one or more songwriters or publishers.

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