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 Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-master-recording https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-master-recording A master recording is the finished recorded version of a track, and in US law the copyright in it is the copyright in a "sound recording": a separate work from the song it captures. Here is what the US Copyright Office says that copyright covers, who its author is, and what owning your masters actually means. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referencecopyrightmasterssound-recording https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-mechanical-royalty https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-mechanical-royalty A mechanical royalty is the money owed to songwriters and publishers when their song, the composition rather than the recording, is copied and distributed, whether on CD, vinyl, download or stream. In the US, streaming mechanicals run through The MLC. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referenceroyaltiespublishingmlccopyright https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/music-lawyer-when-you-need-one https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/music-lawyer-when-you-need-one Most independent artists do not need a lawyer for every release, but a few moments justify one every time: signing anything with a term of years, assigning copyright, and disputes you might take to court. This guide covers those triggers, the main ways lawyers charge, the rules that limit how they can charge in the US and India, and how to prepare so you pay for judgement rather than reading time. Laws and rules checked on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsrecord-dealscopyrightworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/royalty-free-vs-copyright-free https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/royalty-free-vs-copyright-free Three labels get used as if they meant the same thing. They do not. "Royalty-free" describes how you pay for a licence, "copyright-free" is usually a marketing phrase, and "public domain" is a legal status. Here is how to tell them apart and a five-step check before you put someone else's music in your video, game or release. Laws and official pages checked on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers copyrightlicensingsyncworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/copyright-registration-india-music https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/copyright-registration-india-music A recorded song is its own copyright in India, separate from the composition and the lyrics, and its author is the producer. This guide covers what the Copyright Office expects when you register a master: one application per track, Rs 2,000 per recording, consent from everyone who played or sang on it, and a 60-year term. Sources read on 24 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers copyrightindiaregistrationartist-rightsworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/eu-ai-act-for-musicians https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/eu-ai-act-for-musicians The EU AI Act does three things a musician should know about: it makes general-purpose AI providers keep a copyright policy and publish a summary of their training content, it requires deepfake audio to be disclosed and AI output to carry machine-readable marks, and it points rightsholders to the EU text-and-data-mining opt-out. This guide sets out what each rule says, when it applies, and what it does not do, from the regulation text and European Commission pages read on 24 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers eu-ai-actai-musicartist-rightscopyrightai-training https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/iprs-and-pprl-india-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/iprs-and-pprl-india-explained India splits music licensing between the song and the recording. IPRS speaks for composers, lyricists and publishers; PPL India licenses sound recordings assigned to it by labels. A 2025 Delhi High Court ruling questioned how PPL may license without being a registered copyright society. This guide explains the two sides and what an independent artist should do, using the Copyright Act text and court records read on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers royaltiesindiacopyrightindustry https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/licensing-music-to-creators https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/licensing-music-to-creators Creators need background music and will happily pay or credit an artist who makes clearing it easy. This guide covers the three ways to license your tracks directly to creators (free with credit, Creative Commons, or a paid licence), what a one-page licence should say, how to keep Content ID from claiming a video you licensed, and how to price it. YouTube and Creative Commons sources read on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers licensingyoutubecopyrightindependent-artists https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/music-copyright-registration-us https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/music-copyright-registration-us A song and a recording of it are two separate works for US copyright purposes. This guide explains which application covers which, when one application can cover both, the group options for albums and unpublished batches, and what each costs now and under the fee schedule that can take effect from 11 November 2026. Sources: the US Copyright Office and 17 U.S.C., read on 24 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers copyrightcopyright-officeregistrationartist-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/publishing-admin-vs-publishing-deal https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/publishing-admin-vs-publishing-deal An admin deal charges a percentage and leaves your copyright with you. A co-pub or full publishing deal can pay an advance, but you give up part of the copyright, often for years after the contract ends. Here is how to compare the two on cost, control and time. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers publishingroyaltiessongwriterscopyright https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/selling-beats-leases-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/selling-beats-leases-explained A practical guide for producers selling beats online: the difference between a non-exclusive lease and an exclusive licence, what to put in each tier, why leased beats cannot go into Content ID, why an exclusive needs a signed contract, and how to price a ladder without boxing yourself in. Sources read on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers licensingcopyrightbusinessproducers 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/ai-co-producer-without-losing-your-sound https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/ai-co-producer-without-losing-your-sound An AI co-producer can get you past a blank session fast, and it can just as fast pull every track toward the same average. These are practical rules for keeping your own voice: decide what the tool is for before you open it, feed it your material, edit its output, and keep notes on who made what. The legal points come from the US Copyright Office and Spotify, read on 24 Oct 2026. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musicworkflowssongwritingcopyright https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/collaborate-remotely-on-tracks https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/collaborate-remotely-on-tracks Making a track with someone in another city works best when four things are settled early: how files move, what format the session travels in, how stems are exported, and who owns what. Here is a practical order of operations, with the DAW and legal details checked against primary sources. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers collaborationworkflowsstemssplitscopyright https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/cover-song-licensing https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/cover-song-licensing Recording someone else's song is one of the few things in music with a ready-made legal route. Here is what the US mechanical licence actually covers, what a distributor's cover service does for you, why a YouTube cover is a different deal, and why a translated lyric falls outside the easy path. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers copyrightroyaltiesdistributionyoutube https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/creative-commons-music-licences https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/creative-commons-music-licences Creative Commons gives you six licences built from four elements, plus a public-domain tool called CC0. For musicians, two of those elements matter most: NonCommercial (NC), which shuts out most paid uses, and NoDerivatives (ND), which under the licence text blocks sync to video. Here is what each one allows, and what to pick before you release. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers licensingcopyrightsyncworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/live-streaming-performances-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/live-streaming-performances-rights Streaming a gig touches two copyrights and two very different moments: the live broadcast and the archive left behind. Here is what YouTube, Twitch and Meta say about music in live streams, how strikes and DMCA counter-notices work, and a setup that keeps a cover set from costing you your channel. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers livestreamingcopyrightcoversworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/opt-out-of-ai-training https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/opt-out-of-ai-training EU law lets you reserve your music from commercial text and data mining, but only if you say so in a way a machine can read. Here is what the law says, what robots.txt, TDMRep and written notices each do, where they fall short, and the order we would set them up in. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers aiai-trainingopt-outcopyrightartist-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/performing-rights-organisations-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/performing-rights-organisations-explained A performing rights organisation (PRO) licenses the public performance of songs and pays the writers and publishers. Here is what that covers, how joining works at the big societies in the US, UK, Germany and India, and the income streams a PRO will never collect for you. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers royaltiespublishingcopyrightindia 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/learn/public-domain-music-and-recordings https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/public-domain-music-and-recordings A song and a recording of it run on separate clocks, and every country sets its own. Here is how long compositions and recordings stay protected in the US, UK, EU and India, and why an old tune being free does not make a particular arrangement or recording free. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers copyrightpublic-domainsamplingworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/remix-licensing-and-official-remixes https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/remix-licensing-and-official-remixes A remix is a derivative work, so only the copyright owners can authorise it. Here is what separates an official remix from an unofficial one, what a stem licence should spell out, and how to read a remix contest's rules before you hand over your best work for a prize. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers remixescopyrightlicensingworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/two-copyrights-in-every-song https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/two-copyrights-in-every-song Every recorded song carries two copyrights: one in the composition (music and lyrics) and one in the sound recording (the master). Here is who owns each by default under US law, how work-made-for-hire and transfers change that, and the registration basics that decide what you can do if someone copies you. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers copyrightpublishingroyaltiesworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/protect-your-voice-from-ai-cloning https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/protect-your-voice-from-ai-cloning Copyright protects your recordings, not your voice. What protects the voice itself is a patchwork of state laws, court orders and platform rules. Here is what each one covers as of 24 Oct 2026, the takedown routes that work today, and what to do before anyone clones you. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musicvoice-cloningcopyrightdistributionworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/record-deal-red-flags https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/record-deal-red-flags Three parts of a contract decide most of what an artist gives away: how long it lasts, how the money flows back to the label, and what the other side may do with your recordings and voice in an AI model. Here is what to look for in each, the laws that already limit some of them, and the questions to ask before you sign, as we read the sources on 24 Oct 2026. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers record-dealsartist-rightscopyrightai-musicdistribution https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/sample-clearance-basics https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/sample-clearance-basics A sample usually touches two copyrights, the recording and the song, and each has its own owner and its own yes or no. Here is who those owners are, the order to approach them in, how fees tend to be structured, and why the "a few seconds is fine" rule you heard in a forum is not the law. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers samplingcopyrightroyaltiesworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/sync-licensing-basics-for-indies https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/sync-licensing-basics-for-indies A sync placement pays for two separate rights, and a music supervisor has to clear both before your track goes anywhere near a picture. Here is what those rights are, why owning both of them makes you easier to license, how library deals differ, why nobody can quote you a standard fee, and the paperwork that gets you paid after the cheque. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers synclicensingroyaltiescopyrightindustry https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/who-owns-ai-assisted-song-india https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/who-owns-ai-assisted-song-india Indian law has a clause for computer-generated works, but the first court to look at a Suno-made song was not convinced it is protected at all. Here is how ownership splits between lyrics, composition, recording and voice, what the Delhi High Court actually ordered on 25 Mar 2026, and what to do before you release. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musiccopyrightindiaroyaltiesworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/youtube-content-id-for-your-music https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/youtube-content-id-for-your-music A step-by-step playbook for independent artists. Check whether your tracks qualify before you tick the Content ID box, keep your own channel and your collaborators out of the line of fire, and know which button to press when a claim hits your video or someone else claims your song. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers youtubecontent-idcopyrightdistributionworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/ai-music-lawsuits-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/ai-music-lawsuits-explained Labels, publishers and collecting societies have sued Suno, Udio and Anthropic, and independent artists have filed class actions of their own. This page lists 23 major lawsuits, in 21 rows, with their status as of 23 Oct 2026, explains the four legal questions they turn on, and sets out what each outcome would mean for independent musicians. Fri, 23 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers legallawsuitscopyrightai-musicartist-rightssunoudio https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/ai-training-data-licensing-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/ai-training-data-licensing-explained So far, every deal that pays for training AI on music runs through an intermediary (a label, publisher, distributor, collecting society or sample marketplace), and almost none publishes a rate. Here is how the four deal structures work, what the law says in the EU, UK, US and India as of 23 Oct 2026, and what an independent artist can actually claim. Fri, 23 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musicai-traininglicensingcopyrightroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/register-ai-assisted-song-2026 https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/register-ai-assisted-song-2026 Three gatekeepers now ask about AI, and each asks a different question. The US Copyright Office wants to know which parts a human made, PROs want a human writer, and distributors increasingly care which tool you used and how it was trained. Here is what each rule says as of 23 Oct 2026, a checklist that covers all three, and the mistakes that cost artists money. Fri, 23 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musiccopyrightdistributionroyaltiesworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/suno-admits-kept-training-recordings-v6-user-creations https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/suno-admits-kept-training-recordings-v6-user-creations In its answer to Universal and Sony's second lawsuit, Suno admits it has not deleted all the recordings it trained on, and repeats that v6 learned from "creations and preference signals" from its community. That makes Suno's own users part of the training pipeline the labels call laundering, under a licence they can't take back. Fri, 23 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers aiai-musicsunocopyrighttraining-data https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/us-copyright-fees-11-november-register-now https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/us-copyright-fees-11-november-register-now The US Copyright Office can bring in its new fee schedule from 11 November 2026. Registering an album of sound recordings doubles from $65 to $130. If you self-release music in the US, you have under three weeks to register your backlog at current prices, and singles-first artists stand to lose the most. Fri, 23 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightscopyrightcopyright-officeregistration https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/india-ai-voice-cloning-personality-rights-dpiit-licence-stalled https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/india-ai-voice-cloning-personality-rights-dpiit-licence-stalled Bombay High Court orders have shielded Arijit Singh and Asha Bhosle from AI voice clones, but the government committee drafting India's AI-copyright rules has not met since June, and its plan would let AI firms train on recordings without permission. Famous voices have a remedy; everyone else is waiting. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsindiavoice-cloningcopyrightai-music https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/concord-v-anthropic-fair-use-hearing-lyrics https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/concord-v-anthropic-fair-use-hearing-lyrics Music publishers and Anthropic argued cross-motions for summary judgment over Claude and song lyrics on 21 Oct 2026, with no ruling yet. The publishers are testing "market dilution", the theory that AI-written lyrics compete with human songwriters, which one 2025 ruling dismissed and another said could win. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers aicopyrightlawsuitssongwritersartist-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/daisy-the-great-ai-soundalike-ad https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/daisy-the-great-ai-soundalike-ad Daisy the Great say an app called ADHD Vision has spent months running ads with an AI-made track that keeps the melody of "The Record Player Song" and swaps in new lyrics. The law already covers a copied melody. What indie acts lack is a fast, cheap way to get an ad taken down. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsai-musiccopyrightadvertising https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/australia-ai-copyright-outlier-icmp-warning https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/australia-ai-copyright-outlier-icmp-warning The International Confederation of Music Publishers says 62 countries have weighed loosening copyright for AI training and Australia now looks like the only one still considering it. It says Gemini can reproduce lyrics by Kylie Minogue, G-Flip and Nick Cave. A parliamentary committee is due to report by 30 November, so Australian artists have weeks to be heard. Mon, 19 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightscopyrightai-trainingaustraliapolicy https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/vetter-resnik-worldwide-termination-supreme-court-quorum https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/vetter-resnik-worldwide-termination-supreme-court-quorum With four justices sitting out, the Supreme Court had no quorum and automatically affirmed the Fifth Circuit's ruling that a US copyright termination recaptures a songwriter's worldwide rights. It is a real win for writers in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, but it sets no national precedent and foreign courts still apply their own law. Sat, 17 Oct 2026 16:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightscopyrighttermination-rightssongwriterspublishing https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/italy-ai-law-human-authorship-producers https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/italy-ai-law-human-authorship-producers Italy's AI law, Law No. 132 of 2025, amended the country's copyright act so that only works of human intellect are protected, including AI-assisted works that are "the result of the author's intellectual work". It also made spreading harmful AI-faked voices a crime. The law doesn't say how much human input is enough, so the evidence a producer keeps becomes the practical safeguard. Sat, 17 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musiccopyrightartist-rightsdeepfakeshuman-authorshipitaly https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/copyright-office-ai-training-report-still-pre-publication https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/copyright-office-ai-training-report-still-pre-publication The US Copyright Office's report on generative AI training, released as a "pre-publication version" on 9 May 2025, has never been finalised. Its view that some training is fair use and some isn't, and that market dilution is real harm, is the closest thing music has to an official US position. Litigants cite it, the Justice Department attacks it, and the two big 2025 rulings didn't cite it at all. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ailegalcopyrightfair-usetraining-dataartist-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/brazil-ai-bill-pl-2338-training-opt-out-remuneration-stalled https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/brazil-ai-bill-pl-2338-training-opt-out-remuneration-stalled Brazil's Senate passed PL 2338/2023 in December 2024 with a copyright chapter that lets rightsholders forbid AI training on their work and requires AI developers to pay for what they use. The Chamber of Deputies' special committee has held no meetings in 2026, and the rapporteur now expects a vote only after the October elections. Thu, 15 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsaibrazilcopyrightai-trainingregulation https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/uk-music-creators-ai-consent-payment-voice-rights-producers https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/uk-music-creators-ai-consent-payment-voice-rights-producers UK Music's This Is Music 2025 report asked music creators what they think about AI. Big majorities want consent, payment, labelling and voice rights. The producers, the group most likely to use AI tools and most positive about them, back consent and payment almost as strongly as everyone else, so using AI and opposing unlicensed training are not in conflict. Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musicartist-rightscopyrightpersonality-rightsukuk-musicmusicians-union https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/mexico-ai-voice-cloning-performers-consent-law https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/mexico-ai-voice-cloning-performers-consent-law Mexico changed its Federal Copyright Law and Federal Labor Law in May 2026. A performer's voice and image are now protected against AI clones, a payment for one use no longer counts as consent to others, and work contracts must set the terms and pay for any AI use. This is already law, not a bill, but the exceptions are worded more loosely than the headlines suggest. Fri, 09 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsai-musicvoice-cloningcopyrightmexico https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/denmark-deepfake-bill-l49-consent-burden-of-proof https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/denmark-deepfake-bill-l49-consent-burden-of-proof Denmark's culture minister tabled bill L 49 on 8 Oct 2026. It would bar sharing realistic digital imitations of a person's voice, face or other features, or of a performer's performance, without consent, from 1 Jan 2027. It is not law yet. The detail that matters most for singers is in the explanatory notes: the person who publishes the imitation has to prove consent. Thu, 08 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsdeepfakesvoice-cloningcopyrightdenmarkpolicy https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/what-copyright-protects-in-a-song-ai-sounds-like-era https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/what-copyright-protects-in-a-song-ai-sounds-like-era Read together, the Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran and Mariah Carey cases draw a clear line in US law: a melody and an original selection and arrangement of elements can be owned, while scales, common chord progressions, rhythms and genre clichés can't. Style isn't copyrightable either. For producers working with reference tracks and AI, that makes the singer's voice a bigger risk than the vibe. Sun, 04 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowscopyrightai-musicartist-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/take-down-leaks-stolen-uploads-fake-profiles https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/take-down-leaks-stolen-uploads-fake-profiles A leaked demo, a stranger releasing your song, a fake under your name, a Content ID claim on your own video: each has a different route, and the wrong one wastes time. Here is what the US takedown law requires, how Spotify, Apple and YouTube actually take reports, and where the system leans against independent artists. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightscopyrightstreamingvoice-cloning https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/moral-rights-india-section-57-eu-us-vara https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/moral-rights-india-section-57-eu-us-vara Moral rights are your right to be credited and to object to distortion of your work, and in India they stay with you even after you sell the copyright. Section 57 covers authors and Section 38B covers performers. Germany and the UK have similar rules. The US limits them to a narrow class of visual art, which leaves music out. Here is what that means for AI remixes, deepfakes and uncredited samples. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightscopyrightindiaai-music https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/india-radio-royalties-section-31d-iprs-ppl-india https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/india-radio-royalties-section-31d-iprs-ppl-india Indian radio stations do not need your permission to play a published song. Section 31D of the Copyright Act lets them broadcast it under a statutory licence, as long as they give notice and pay royalties at a rate fixed by law. IPRS collects for the song and PPL India for the recording. Here is what IPRS charges a radio channel, who actually sets the rate, and how to register so the money can reach you. Wed, 23 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsroyaltiesindiaradiocopyright 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/stem-separation-sample-clearance-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/stem-separation-sample-clearance-explained Pulling a drum break or an acapella out of a finished record with a stem splitter doesn't turn it into a new sound. It is still a copy of someone else's recording and song, so in most cases it needs two licences, one for the master and one for the composition. Sun, 20 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowssamplingcopyrightstem-separation https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/release-cover-song-legally-mechanical-licence https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/release-cover-song-legally-mechanical-licence In the US, anyone can record and release a cover of a song that has already been released, without asking, as long as they get a mechanical licence and pay the writers the legal rate. Here is what that licence covers, what you must leave alone, why streaming and downloads are treated differently, and a pre-release checklist. Sun, 13 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowscoversmechanical-licensingroyaltiescopyright 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/2026/09/copyright-claims-board-small-claims-musicians https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/copyright-claims-board-small-claims-musicians The US Copyright Claims Board lets you pursue an infringement claim of up to $30,000 online, without a lawyer, for a $100 filing fee. It only works if your song is registered (or at least applied for), the other side is in the US, and they choose not to opt out. Thu, 10 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightscopyrightlegal https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/ai-training-fair-use-bartz-kadrey-music https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/ai-training-fair-use-bartz-kadrey-music Two US judges ruled in June 2025 that training language models on books was fair use, but only on the records in front of them, and one said plainly that most such copying will likely be illegal. Music cases turn on market harm, and that is where songwriters and labels have a stronger hand than the authors did. Wed, 09 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers aifair-usecopyrightai-musiclawsuits https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/can-you-copyright-ai-song-us-copyright-office-rules https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/can-you-copyright-ai-song-us-copyright-office-rules In the US, a prompt on its own does not make you the author of what an AI generates. Lyrics, melodies, performances, edits and creative arrangement you made yourself can still be registered, as long as you claim your part and disclose the AI part on the form. Tue, 08 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers aiai-musiccopyrightregistrationartist-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/doj-fair-use-nyt-music-lawyers https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/doj-fair-use-nyt-music-lawyers The US Justice Department has told the court in the New York Times' case against OpenAI that training AI models on copyrighted text is fair use, and it goes out of its way to reject the "market dilution" theory the music industry leans on. It leaves outputs, data sourcing and identity open, and that is where artists' claims are strongest. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightslegalcopyrightfair-useai-musictraining-data https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/eu-ai-act-training-summaries-what-musicians-can-do https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/eu-ai-act-training-summaries-what-musicians-can-do From 2 August 2026 the Commission's AI Office can fine general-purpose AI providers that skip their copyright policy or their public summary of training content. The rules give musicians a reference point and a complaint route, but not a list of their songs or a payment. Here is what you can check, what you can reserve, and where the gaps are. Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightseu-ai-actcopyrightai-trainingai-music https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/brazil-ecad-letter-big-tech-ai-licensing-bill-stalled https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/brazil-ecad-letter-big-tech-ai-licensing-bill-stalled ECAD, Brazil's central collecting office, and the music societies that run it joined broadcasters and publishers in a letter to OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Amazon and others. It says AI use of their members' work needs authorisation and payment under the 1998 copyright law, and invites talks to avoid litigation. Brazil's AI bill, which would write that into statute, has stalled in the Chamber of Deputies until after the elections. Mon, 24 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musicartist-rightscopyrightcollecting-societiesbrazilecadopenaipl-2338 https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/do-not-train-registries-opt-outs-musicians https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/do-not-train-registries-opt-outs-musicians EU law lets you reserve your music from commercial AI training, and German courts have now said what a valid reservation looks like. Opt-outs are worth setting up, but treat them as evidence for later rather than a lock. Here is a realistic setup, from robots.txt to your collecting society, and where it stops working. Sat, 22 Aug 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers aiartist-rightscopyrightai-trainingopt-out https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/youtube-content-id-independent-artists-explainer https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/youtube-content-id-independent-artists-explainer Most independent artists can only reach YouTube's Content ID through a distributor, and the eligibility rules exclude far more music than people expect. Here is how claims, disputes and held revenue work, the false-claim traps around samples and public-domain material, and why AI soundalikes are still a gap in the system. Wed, 19 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowsyoutubecontent-idaicopyright https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/register-song-copyright-india-step-by-step https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/register-song-copyright-india-step-by-step In India your song is protected the moment you make it, so registration is optional. What it gives you is evidence a court will accept. One song can be three separate works (the music, the lyrics and the recording), each needing its own application, fee and consent letters from your co-writers. Sat, 15 Aug 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowsartist-rightscopyrightindiaregistration https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/twitch-musicians-covers-dmca-safe-setup https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/twitch-musicians-covers-dmca-safe-setup Twitch lets you perform cover songs live, but its rules stop at the live stream. The saved broadcast and clips are where takedowns come from. Here is what the music guidelines actually say, how strikes work, what Soundtrack's shutdown tells us, and a step-by-step setup for performance streams. Sun, 09 Aug 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowstwitchlivestreamingcopyrightcovers https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/france-darcos-bill-sacem-ai-training-burden-of-proof https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/france-darcos-bill-sacem-ai-training-burden-of-proof France's Senate has passed a one-article bill that would presume an AI provider used a protected work whenever there is a plausible sign that it did, leaving the provider to prove otherwise. SACEM, which has opted its repertoire out of AI mining since October 2023, wants it passed. It has been stuck in the National Assembly since June, and the reason it matters is that an opt-out is hard to enforce if you can't prove your music was used. Thu, 06 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musicartist-rightscopyrightlegalfrancesacem https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/sync-ai-era-clean-chain-of-title https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/sync-ai-era-clean-chain-of-title AI tracks are flooding the cheap end of production music, but a music supervisor can't clear or insure a cue whose authorship and training data nobody can document. Here is how sync money works, and why well-documented human catalogues are gaining value. Thu, 06 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrysynclicensingaimusic-supervisorscopyright https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/07/gema-suno-munich-ruling-memorisation https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/07/gema-suno-munich-ruling-memorisation A Munich court has largely ruled for GEMA against Suno over six songs, finding they were memorised inside Suno's v3.5 and v4 models and that this is copying. It also applied US fair use to Suno's US training and rejected it. The ruling isn't final, and its limits matter as much as the headline. Fri, 31 Jul 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers legalsunogemaai-musicartist-rightscopyright https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/06/jasrac-ai-songs-human-parts-article-30-4 https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/06/jasrac-ai-songs-human-parts-article-30-4 Japan's biggest music rights society will only manage the human-made parts of a song, and songwriters must say which parts AI made when they register. It is also asking for Article 30-4, which lets AI firms train on works without permission, to give creators a choice. That puts Japan's songwriters further from a say over training than their counterparts in the EU or the UK. Sat, 13 Jun 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsaijapanjasraccopyrightai-training https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/03/uk-ai-copyright-opt-out-dropped-australia https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/03/uk-ai-copyright-opt-out-dropped-australia On 18 March 2026 the UK government said a copyright exception letting AI firms train on work unless creators opt out is no longer its preferred option. Musicians won this one through public pressure and votes in Parliament, but the government hasn't ruled the idea out, and seven months later an opt-out model is on the table in Australia. Wed, 18 Mar 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightscopyrightai-traininguk https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/01/public-domain-2026-music-georgia-i-got-rhythm-1925-recordings https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/01/public-domain-2026-music-georgia-i-got-rhythm-1925-recordings On 1 January 2026, US copyright ended for songs published in 1930 and for recordings from 1925. You can now re-record, adapt and sample them in the US without a licence. Later recordings, new arrangements and other countries are where the traps are. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowscopyrightpublic-domainsampling https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2025/06/ed-sheeran-thinking-out-loud-chord-progressions-building-blocks https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2025/06/ed-sheeran-thinking-out-loud-chord-progressions-building-blocks On 16 June 2025 the US Supreme Court declined to hear Structured Asset Sales' appeal, leaving the 2nd Circuit's ruling in place: a common four-chord progression plus a syncopated harmonic rhythm is too unoriginal to protect, and for a 1909 Act song only the deposited sheet music counts. That standard matters for every 'it sounds like my song' claim, including the ones now aimed at AI outputs. Mon, 16 Jun 2025 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightscopyrightai-music https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2025/03/carey-lipa-plagiarism-suits-fail-sanctions https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2025/03/carey-lipa-plagiarism-suits-fail-sanctions In March 2025 two federal judges threw out song-theft suits against Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' and Dua Lipa's 'Levitating', both because the shared material wasn't protectable. Carey's judge went further and sanctioned the plaintiffs' side; in December the bill came to about $92,300 for Carey alone. For songwriters thinking of suing, the lesson is to filter out the building blocks before anyone files. Thu, 27 Mar 2025 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightscopyrightlegal https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2025/03/silent-album-is-this-what-we-want-artist-activism https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2025/03/silent-album-is-this-what-we-want-artist-activism Is This What We Want?, out on 25 February 2025, is 12 recordings of empty studios and performance spaces, credited to more than 1,000 musicians, whose track titles spell out a message to the UK government. It landed on the day the government's AI copyright consultation closed. As a piece of artist activism it is unusually well designed, and the design is worth copying. Sat, 01 Mar 2025 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightscopyrightai-traininguk https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2022/03/katy-perry-dark-horse-verdict-overturned-ostinato-not-original https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2022/03/katy-perry-dark-horse-verdict-overturned-ostinato-not-original The Ninth Circuit has upheld the decision to throw out a jury's $2.8 million copyright verdict against Katy Perry, holding that the eight-note figure 'Dark Horse' shares with Flame's 'Joyful Noise' is built entirely from commonplace musical elements. The opinion is the clearest plain-English account yet of how courts separate a song's building blocks from what a songwriter can own. Thu, 10 Mar 2022 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightscopyrightkaty-perry