Who owns the master if I pay a producer?

Under Indian law the producer of a sound recording is the person who takes the initiative and responsibility for making it, which is often whoever arranged and paid for it. But studio producers sometimes expect a share, so put ownership in writing before the session.

What is the difference between PPL India and ISAMRA?

PPL India licenses public performance of sound recordings for the labels and recording owners it represents. ISAMRA collects performer royalties for singers and musicians.

Do I need my own ISRC codes?

Usually not. Most distributors assign ISRC codes when you upload a release. In India, ISRC registrant codes are issued by the Indian Music Industry (IMI) if you want to manage your own.

How much does ISAMRA membership cost?

ISAMRA's leadership has said lifetime membership is ₹10,000 for singers and ₹2,000 for musicians. Check ISAMRA directly for current terms.

Recording and performer rights: who owns the master

The master is its own copyright

When you record a song, you create a second copyright: the sound recording, usually called the master. It's separate from the song. You can own the song and not the master, or the other way round.

Why it matters: the master is what's streamed, played on radio, licensed to brands and sampled. Whoever owns it controls those uses and collects the recording side of the money.

Who owns the master?

Indian copyright law gives ownership of a sound recording to its producer: the person who takes the initiative and responsibility for making it. In practice that's usually whoever arranged and paid for the recording. But real life is messier, so here are the common situations:

Situation	Who usually owns the master	What to put in writing
You record and pay for everything yourself	You	Nothing extra, but keep invoices
You pay a studio producer a flat fee	You, if agreed	A short agreement confirming the master is yours and the fee is a buyout
A producer works for a share instead of a fee	Shared, as agreed	The split of the master and of income from it
A label funds the recording	The label, under most deals	Your royalty rate, term and what happens to the masters after
You record with a band	Usually the band members together	Who owns what share, and who can make decisions

Courts in India have treated the song and the recording as genuinely separate. In a well-known dispute involving composer Ilaiyaraja, the Madras High Court found that a composer owns his compositions but can't be treated as owning the sound recordings. Owning one never automatically means owning the other.

What PPL India does

When a recording is played in public, on radio, TV, in a hotel, a gym or at an event, the business needs a licence for the recording, as well as a licence for the song from IPRS. PPL India (Phonographic Performance Limited) issues those licences on behalf of the labels and recording owners it represents, and distributes the money to them.

If you own your masters, ask your distributor or label how public-performance income for your recordings is handled, and whether your recordings are registered for it.

What ISAMRA does

ISAMRA (the Indian Singers' and Musicians' Rights Association) collects royalties for performers: the singers and musicians whose performances are on a recording. It began with singers and expanded to cover musicians.

What it collects: performer royalties when recordings are used commercially, including a share of public performance money under an agreement with the Indian Music Industry.
Abroad: ISAMRA has agreements with PPL in the UK and with SoundExchange in the US, among others, so Indian performers can be paid when their recordings are used overseas.
Membership: you need to be a member to collect. ISAMRA's leadership has said lifetime membership costs ₹10,000 for singers and ₹2,000 for musicians. Check ISAMRA for current terms.

If you sing or play on recordings, including other people's, this is money owed to you as a performer.

ISRC: the barcode for your recording

Every recording should have an ISRC (International Standard Recording Code): a unique 12-character code that identifies that specific recording across platforms and collecting societies.

An Indian ISRC looks like this: IN (country) + a three-character registrant code + two digits for the year + a five-digit number for the recording.

The easy way: most distributors assign ISRC codes for free when you upload. That's fine for most independent artists.
Your own codes: in India, ISRC registrant codes are issued by the Indian Music Industry (IMI). Labels and serious independents sometimes get their own so their codes stay with them.
Keep them: note the ISRC of every release. If you ever move distributors, re-using the same ISRC helps platforms recognise it's the same recording.

The song has its own identifier too, the ISWC, usually handled through your collecting society.

Protecting your masters

Get ownership in writing before every session, especially with producers.
Keep the files: final masters, stems, instrumentals and project files, backed up in two places.
Read label offers carefully for how long they own the masters and whether rights ever come back to you. Module 5 covers contracts.
Register as a performer with ISAMRA if you sing or play.
Log your ISRCs alongside your splits and credits.

Your checklist

For each release, write down who owns the master.
Make sure every producer arrangement is in writing.
Note each recording's ISRC.
If you perform on recordings, look into ISAMRA membership.
Ask your distributor or label how public-performance income for your recordings is collected.