LP Glossary

100 key music industry terms

Also know as “author rights”, these are legally granted to the songwriter of an original music work. They include moral rights, which allow the songwriter to claim the ownership of the musical work...

Label

Company that manufactures, distributes and promotes the recordings of affiliated artists. Label sells the artist's brand and the products they create.

Public Domain Work

Musical work that doesn't have copyright protection and that can therefore be used by anyone for any purpose without any license or agreement...

Split Sheet

Document that describes the rights split of a musical collaboration. It must be written and signed by the co-authors before the exploitation of the musical work.

Royalties

Revenues generated by the exploitation of a track for the songwriter, the performer and the producer. Incomes can be generated by physical or digital album sales, digital downloads, streams, radio or TV broadcasts.

Intellectual Property

Ownership of a concept that you have invented or created. It can be musical, pictorial, mechanical or procedural.

360 Deal

Exclusive recording contract allowing a record company to receive a percentage of all of your revenues, ie: sales of your music, publishing rights, concert revenues...

Direct-to-Fan

Act of selling music directly to fans without relying on a retailer or a distributor. Platforms like Bandcamp or Twitch do direct-to-fan.

Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA)

Anti-piracy law that outlaws the bypassing of rules restricting the access and distribution of copyrighted materials.

Co-Publishing Agreement

Publishing contract between two publishers in which a publisher shares a part of the royalties in exchange for creative and administrative services from the other one...

Black Box

Denotes the large amount of revenues generated by all the music aired on the various platforms that remains unattributable to the artist who created it...

Label

Public Domain Work

Split Sheet

Royalties

Intellectual Property

360 Deal

Direct-to-Fan

DMCA

Co-Publishing Agreement

Black Box

Label

Company that manufactures, distributes and promotes the recordings of affiliated artists. Label sells the artist's brand and the products they create.

Public Domain Work

Musical work that doesn't have copyright protection and that can therefore be used by anyone for any purpose without any license or agreement...

Split Sheet

Document that describes the rights split of a musical collaboration. It must be written and signed by the co-authors before the exploitation of the musical work.

Royalties

Intellectual Property

Ownership of a concept that you have invented or created. It can be musical, pictorial, mechanical or procedural.

360 Deal

Exclusive recording contract allowing a record company to receive a percentage of all of your revenues, ie: sales of your music, publishing rights, concert revenues...

Direct-to-Fan

Act of selling music directly to fans without relying on a retailer or a distributor. Platforms like Bandcamp or Twitch do direct-to-fan.

Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA)

Anti-piracy law that outlaws the bypassing of rules restricting the access and distribution of copyrighted materials.

Co-Publishing Agreement

Publishing contract between two publishers in which a publisher shares a part of the royalties in exchange for creative and administrative services from the other one...

Black Box

Denotes the large amount of revenues generated by all the music aired on the various platforms that remains unattributable to the artist who created it...

+100 music industry terms

Label

Public Domain Work

Split Sheet

Royalties

Intellectual Property

360 Deal

Direct-to-Fan

DMCA

Co-Publishing Agreement

Black Box

Label

Public Domain Work

Split Sheet

Royalties

Intellectual Property

360 Deal

Direct-to-Fan

DMCA

Co-Publishing Agreement

Black Box

The 100 terms of the music industry every musician should know

Music industry made simple

100 terms you should know

We want to help to make the music industry accessible to every musician

It starts with this glossary