Work for hire
A legal arrangement in which a commissioned or employee-created work is owned by the commissioning party rather than the creator. In music, if a songwriter creates a work as a 'work made for hire,' the commissioning party holds the copyright and the songwriter has no termination rights under US law.
Articles about Work for hire
How to Register Your Music Copyright in the US and Internationally
How to register copyright music for your songs and recordings matters more than many artists realize, since registration creates a public ownership record and unlocks legal remedies and revenue streams. This practical, step by step guide explains which US Copyright Office forms to file for compositions and masters, how to register with PROs and SoundExchange, and the metadata, ISRC, and ISWC steps that actually get you paid internationally.
How to Calculate the Royalties You're Owed From Streams and Broadcasts
If you need to know how to calculate music royalties from streams and broadcasts, this guide gives the step-by-step formulas and real examples you can apply to your songs, playlists, and catalogs. You will learn to separate master, mechanical, and performance income, pull the exact inputs from DSP and collection society reports, and convert streams and audience impressions into expected dollar amounts across major territories.
Why Your Sync Placements Aren't Paying What They Should
If your sync placements are earning far less than they should, you are probably losing sync royalties without realizing where the leaks are. This practical guide shows the exact diagnostic checklist and remediation lanes you can run now — metadata and ownership fixes, cue sheet and usage reporting, and PRO and neighboring rights reclamation.
Copyright Chain of Title in Music: How to Establish and Verify Ownership
Proving who actually owns a song or master is rarely straightforward; missing split sheets, conflicting society entries, and legacy transfers create real operational risk. This guide lays out a step-by-step approach to build and verify a reliable copyright chain of title for both compositions and sound recordings, listing the exact documents, registry checks, APIs, and red flags you should use.
The A-Z Music Publishing Glossary: Every Term You Need to Know
This A-Z music publishing glossary gives clear definitions for every term you will run into - from ISWC to sync licensing - with real-world examples and practical next steps. Whether you are an independent songwriter setting up splits or an indie label resolving international collections, use these standardized entries to register rights, fix metadata, and stop leaving money on the table.