Copyright is the system in place to allow you, as the creator of something, to retain your rights in how that work is used.

In a piece of recorded music, there can be many copyrights. For example:

• Composer/Songwriter - the person that creates the music in the first place

This lasts for 70 years after your death (in the UK)

• Lyrics - the person that writer the words or libretto

This also last for 70 years after your death

• Recording / Phonogram - this is owned by the record company

This lasts for 50 years after the year of the production

• Performance - both featured & unfeatured performers have a right in their performance on the recording

This again lasts for 50 years after the year of production

As one of the rights holders in a piece of recorded music, you are eligible to receive royalties for when those recordings are used. In the UK, each rights holder will receive a royalty when the recording is performed on the radio. To receive those royalties, each rights holder must become a member of the appropriate Royalty Collection Societies

In the UK, PRS, MCPS and PPL collect royalties for the many different rights holders

• MCPS/PRS - www.mcps-prs-alliance.co.uk

They collect performance and mechanical royalties for composers and songwriters in the UK and have agreements with similar societies abroad to collect international royalties/

• PPL - www.ppluk.com

PPL collects royalties when recordings or phonograms are used in public ie. radio broadcast and distributes these royalties to the record company and the performers. They also have international agreements to collect foreign airplay royalties.

NEXT: Copyright 102 - protecting your rights