Question: What are Royalties?
Answer:Royalties are small payments made to you each time people use or buy your work, such as a song.
Typically, the owner of the copyright grants a licence to another person to use the work in a certain way, and in return, the owner receives payment for the use, for example, from the proceeds of sale. Copyright legislation does not set the price of royalties. Instead, the creator’s licence agreement (for example, publishing deal) needs to clearly outline the royalty amounts.
What are Royalties for Music?
Recorded music has multiple elements, including the written music, the lyrics, musical work and sound recording. Different people may separately own the copyright in each element. Therefore, in these cases, it is common to divide the royalties equally between the different components of a recorded musical work.
What are Royalties for Performances?
Performance royalties are payable to a songwriter for a ‘live performance ‘of a song. A live performance includes live gigs, playing the song live in public or on the radio. Performance rights societies may monitor the media for live performances, and issue licences allowing businesses to host a live performance. The societies then distribute licensing fees to the songwriters.
What are Mechanical Royalties?
Mechanical royalties are royalties paid on the physical or digital copy of a recorded song. These are paid by record labels or a body releasing an album to songwriters for any albums pressed that feature the songwriter’s material. Mechanical royalties do not allow for performances of the song, they simply allow for the song to be included on the album.
What are Royalties for Writers?
Writers may receive royalties out of a publishing deal for a book. The author, their agent and the publisher will negotiate these royalties. The publication contract will sometimes require the publisher to pay the author a percentage of the expected royalties before publication, as well as a percentage of the amount received from the book’s publication.
What are Photo Royalties?
Photographers can also receive royalties for their works under a photo licensing agreement in the same way that writers or musicians receive a portion of the income generated by the licensee using the photo. Royalties can be negotiated before entering into photo licensing agreements.
