Music & Copyright in America

Starting with history of music copyright from its origins to the present, this book explores the music industry through a legal lens. It presents a practical overview of music rights and licensing, while at the same time providing perspective, context, and clarity amidst the chaos and challenges of music business.

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Beginning with history of music copyright from its origins to the present, Music & Copyright in America explores the music industry through a legal lens. This in-depth, intriguing, and beautifully written book provides a practical overview of music rights and licensing as well as insights into its evolving future. Timely and absorbing, author Kevin Parks provides invaluable perspective, context, and clarity amidst the chaos and challenges of today's music business while offering considered insights into how the business may evolve in the future. In this book, he explores the history of the music business in the United States, with a focus on earlier watershed moments when technology threatened existing industry practices yet created larger, long-term opportunities. The author explains the fundamentals of music copyright for both songs and recordings and describes how these intellectual property assets are translated into the different licensing schemes that form the engine and lifeblood of the music business. This book untangles and clarifies the various judicial, legislative, and cultural developments that are dramatically changing both the music industry and the legal landscape.