https://wearethemusicmakers.co/latest Music tech and AI in music: the news that matters, what we think about it, and a directory of the tools. en-us Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/session-musician-agreements https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/session-musician-agreements A one-page session agreement saves artists and players from the most common disputes: who owns the recording, whether the player is paid once or shares in royalties, how they are credited and what the fee covers. This guide walks through each clause in plain language, and explains why "work made for hire" wording does less for a sound recording than many people assume under US law. Not legal advice; sources read on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers contractsroyaltiescopyrightcollaboration https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/band-agreement-basics https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/band-agreement-basics A band that earns money together is often a business partnership in law, whether or not anyone signed anything, and the default rules may not be the ones you would choose. Here is what a band agreement should cover, using the UK Partnership Act 1890 as a worked example of what happens when you write nothing down. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers contractsbusinessbandsroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/producer-agreements-points-and-splits https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/producer-agreements-points-and-splits A producer deal is usually two things at once: who owns what the producer made, and how the producer gets paid. Here is how fees and points fit together, what "work made for hire" really means under US law, and how a SoundExchange letter of direction routes a share of radio royalties to the producer. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers royaltiescontractscopyrightproducers https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/ai-music-video-controversies-fontaines-rodrigo-downing https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/ai-music-video-controversies-fontaines-rodrigo-downing Fontaines D.C. say a VFX team used AI on "Marianne" without telling them, their label or management. Olivia Rodrigo's art team posted hand-drawn work to answer AI claims, and K.K. Downing defends an AI recreation of his younger self. Artists now carry the reputational risk of supply-chain choices they often never see. Wed, 21 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsai-musicmusic-videoscontracts https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/us-state-digital-replica-laws-musicians-california-new-york-illinois https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/us-state-digital-replica-laws-musicians-california-new-york-illinois California, New York, Illinois and Tennessee are among the US states with AI-era rules on copies of a performer's voice, and they work in different ways. California and New York kill vague replica clauses in contracts, California also requires estate consent for replicas of dead performers, and Illinois makes it unlawful to knowingly distribute an unauthorised replica. Here is what each statute says, where they differ, and a checklist for your next contract. Fri, 09 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsdigital-replicasvoice-rightscontracts https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/soundcloud-ai-terms-read-the-clause-before-you-upload https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/soundcloud-ai-terms-read-the-clause-before-you-upload In February 2024 SoundCloud added a line to its terms letting uploads "inform, train, develop" AI. When artists noticed in May 2025, it replaced the line with a narrower promise: no training of generative models that "aim to replicate or synthesize" your voice, music or likeness without opt-in. The fix is real, but it is narrower than it sounds. Here is how to read clauses like it. Sat, 26 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightssoundcloudai-trainingcontracts https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/work-for-hire-music-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/work-for-hire-music-explained Under US law a "work made for hire" makes the hiring party the legal author, which also switches off the right to take your work back after 35 years. A clause saying "work for hire" doesn't make it true, though. Here is when it actually applies to music, and what to check before you sign. Mon, 21 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightscopyrightcontracts https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/eu-bestseller-clause-dsm-directive-articles-18-22-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/eu-bestseller-clause-dsm-directive-articles-18-22-explained Articles 18 to 22 of the EU's 2019 copyright directive give songwriters and performers a right to proportionate pay, a yearly report on what their work earned, a claim for more when a deal turns out lopsided, and a way to take back rights that sit unused. The rules are real, but each country wrote its own version, and most of it only works if you ask. Fri, 11 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightscopyrighteucontracts https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2025/05/taylor-swift-masters-buyback-lessons-for-artists https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2025/05/taylor-swift-masters-buyback-lessons-for-artists Taylor Swift has bought back the master recordings of her first six albums from Shamrock Capital, for a price Billboard's sources put at around $360 million. Most artists can't buy their way out of a bad deal, so the useful lessons are in the contract clauses that made the six-year fight necessary. Fri, 30 May 2025 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsindustrymastersre-recordingcontracts