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Glossary

Learn the music industry language.

Alexiomar Rodriguez avatar
Written by Alexiomar Rodriguez
Updated over 3 months ago

A

  • Author – Writes lyrics.

  • Arranger – Modifies musical elements of pre-existing work.

  • Adaptor – Modifies pre-existing lyrics.

  • Acquiring Music Publisher – A music publisher that has acquired Right Shares of Musical Works, typically collated into a Catalog, from another music publisher (the Relinquishing Music Publisher).

  • Administrator – A party administrating rights on behalf of one or more Rights Controllers, or Collecting Publisher.

  • Audio-visual Resource – An audible and visual persistent manifestation of a subject (often but not necessarily of a performance).


B


C

  • Catalog – A well-defined collection of items such as rights in musical works, Right Shares and/or Releases.

  • Composer/Author – Creates both lyrics and music elements.

  • Composer – Creates musical elements.

  • ​Collective Management Organization (CMO) – Collects both performance and mechanical royalties.


D


E


F


G


H


I


J


K


L


M

  • Mechanical Rights Organization (MRO) – Collect mechanical royalties. Examples include the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC), and Harry Fox Agency (HFA).


N



O


P

  • Performing Rights Organization (PRO) – Collects performance royalties. Examples include the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and Broadcast Music, Inc (BMI).



Q



R



S

  • Society – Entity that collects royalties. Collection societies are broken up into three categories: Performing Rights Organization (PRO); Collective Management Organization (CMO); and Mechanical Rights Organization (MRO).



T

  • Translator – Modifies lyrics into different language



U



V



W


X


Y


Z


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