Sandy

What is copyright? Copyright is a set of exclusive rights granted by the law of a jurisdiction to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work. All music can be copyrighted and is subject to copyright and protected whether you explicitly state so or not.

How does a song get copyrighted? There are two ways to copyright music. The more traditional use of the ' © ' symbol applies to composition, musical score, lyrics, artwork or cover designs of a song. The other option to copyright music is using a ' ⓟ 'symbol, which applies to the sound recording itself. The use of copyright allows bands and record labels to not worry about copyright infringement.

How is this impacting the music industry? The use of copyright law has been a standard in the music industry. Record labels benefit from copyright on their music, as it protects the recordings, composition, and artwork of releases from being taken and reused without punishment. Sampling, a common technique in modern day music, is the use of another artist's material to create a completely new song. Sampling, looping, and mashing, all of which are techniques for producing music, have been under dispute for copyright infringement.

Can I copy a music CD I purchased and legally give a copy to a friend? You are legally entitled to do whatever you want with a CD after you purchase it. You are even allowed to make a backup copy in case the original copy gets damaged. But, it is illegal to give away a copy of that CD to a friend and still own a copy of that CD. As soon as you give the CD away, you must destroy any other copy that you own.