Master recordings

{{Short description|Original recording of audio performance}}

Master recordings are the original recordings of animation and audio performances. The term covers recording as well as post-recording mixes and production edits: masters are the copyrighted recordings that are used for analog and digital duplication.{{Cite book |last=Passman |first=Donald S. |title=All you need to know about the music business |date=2006 |publisher=Free Press |isbn=978-0-7432-9318-1 |edition=6th ed.; [rev. and updated] |location=New York}} Master refers only to the recorded performance of a song; it does not cover the composition of recorded material, which is a separate copyright that belongs to the songwriter unless ownership of the copyright is transferred or sold to a separate entity.{{Cite book |last=Osborne |first=Richard |title=Owning the masters: a history of sound recording copyright |date=2023 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-5013-4593-7 |location=New York London Oxford New Delhi Sydney}}