Copyright is a fundamental legal right established by law that grants creators of original works exclusive authority over how their creations are used, distributed, and commercialized.
Copyright does not protect raw ideas, concepts, or titles; rather, it protects the tangible, original expression of those ideas—such as an recorded audio master or written composition—subject to standard legal limitations like fair use.
The Six Exclusive Rights of Copyright Owners
Under international intellectual property law, copyright owners possess six exclusive rights:
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Reproduction: The right to duplicate the work across physical media (vinyl, CDs, cassettes) or digital formats (downloads, server streams).
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Derivative Works: The right to adapt, sample, remix, or create new arrangements based upon the original underlying work.
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Distribution: The right to release and distribute copies of the work to the public through commercial sale, streaming pipelines, rental, or licensing.
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Public Performance: The right to perform the work publicly (e.g., live venue performances, radio airplay, television broadcasts, club sets).
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Public Display: The right to show visual assets, cover artwork, motion graphics, and video projects publicly.
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Digital Audio Transmission: For sound recordings, the specific right to broadcast and perform the audio master publicly via digital streaming platforms, non-interactive webcasts, and satellite radio.
How Copyright Operates on DistroVibe
When distributing music through DistroVibe:
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100% Rights Retention: You retain full ownership of your master recordings and underlying publishing rights. DistroVibe acts solely as your non-exclusive digital distribution and rights administration partner.
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Master vs. Composition: Remember that every track contains two distinct copyrights: the Musical Work / Composition (lyrics and melody) and the Sound Recording / Master (the specific recorded audio performance).
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Protection & Monetization: These exclusive rights enable DistroVibe to collect mechanical, performance, and streaming royalties on your behalf and protect your catalog across digital fingerprinting engines (such as YouTube Content ID and Meta Rights Manager).