What are Composition Rights?

Composition rights are the rights associated with the musical composition of a song, which includes the melody, harmony, chord progressions, and lyrics created by the songwriter. These rights protect the underlying musical work itself, separate from any specific recorded performance of the song.

Composition rights belong to the songwriter or songwriters who created the music and lyrics, and they are often managed by a music publisher. These rights allow the owners to control how the composition is used and to collect royalties when the song is performed, reproduced, streamed, or synchronized with visual media. Common types of income tied to composition rights include mechanical royalties, performance royalties, and sync licensing fees.

Because composition rights apply to the song itself rather than a specific recording, different artists can record their own versions of the same composition. Even when another artist performs or records the song, the original songwriters and publishers still retain the composition rights and continue to earn royalties whenever the music is used.