Distinguishing Composition from Sound Recording — Distinguishing Composition from Sound Recording

Public timelines should distinguish between songwriting authorship and recorded performance credits. Under copyright law, a musical composition and its sound recording are treated as two separate works.

For example, when an artist records a cover of a song owned by someone else, they generally register only the sound recording. Verifying these distinct registrations helps clarify whether a musician wrote the underlying work or simply performed on the track.