Demystifying Music Copyright: Visual Index

Explore the major technological advances from the 1800s to today, to see how intellectual property laws have evolved to shape and monetize the music industry.
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CONTENTS
Demystifying music copyright — article series index
1800s
Printing press
Sheet music at scale
→
Print royalties + performance
Article 1 — read now →
Early 1900s
Gramophone / radio
Mechanical reproduction
→
Mechanical royalties + radio
Article 2 — read now →
1940–1970s
Film and television
Sync to picture
→
Sync fees + backend royalties
Article 3 — read now →
1970–1990s
Cassette / CD / MTV
Home taping, CD boom
→
Mechanical sales peak
Article 4 — read now →
2000s
Napster / iTunes
Digital downloads
→
Digital mechanicals
Article 5 — read now →
2000–2010s
CD Baby / Myspace
Self-distribution
→
Independence + ISRC access
Article 6 — read now →
2000–2010s
Prestige TV / tech brands
Indie sync boom
→
Sync agencies + DISCO
Article 7 — read now →
2010s
Spotify / TikTok
Streaming dominates
→
3 royalties per stream
Article 8 — read now →
Today
AI / vinyl / live
Portfolio career
→
Multiple revenue streams
Article 9 — read now →
Era
Technology
Article — click to read

Related Articles

Creator Conversations
Copyright 1: Print to performance
Copyright 2: Recording to radio
Copyright 3: Sync licensing
Copyright 4: Cassette, MTV, CD
Copyright 5: Napster to iTunes
Copyright 6: Rise of indie artists
Copyright 7: Indie sync
Copyright 8: The streaming era
Copyright 9: Artists today

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