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This Page: Copyright | MCPS/PRS Alliance | CDSA | ISRC Coding of Music Tracks

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© Copyright: Overview

Before manufacturing copies of any sort of programme on CD, DVD, cassette or vinyl, you need to think about the copyright issues. In common with all other reputable music media manufacturers, We take copyright issues very seriously. We require all customers to sign a declaration that they have obtained the appropriate permissions and licenses that apply to the material to be reproduced. In addition, we will ask you to supply copies of licenses, or to fill in a form detailing what, if any, copyrighted intellectual properties are included within the content of the programme.

© Copyright: Music: MCPS/PRS Alliance

Audio CD/DVD - including cover versions of copyright material...
If you want us to manufacture audio CDs or DVDs that include one or more cover versions, i.e. songs not written by the artist or members of the band, then you will need to get a license from the MCPS (Mechanical Copyright Protection Society). Do it well in advance of your manufacturing date!

We can supply you with an MCPS license application form. On it you'll need to list ALL the songs on the album (single/EP) - originals and covers! For the cover versions, you'll need to find out the names of the original songwriters, and the copyright holder (often this would be the publishing company). The MCPS will help you find this information if you're having problems. You'll also need to say how many discs/tapes you are asking us to manufacture, and state the retail and dealer prices of the product, and the barcode number.

It doesn't cost much to be legal - royalties for any cover versions may be only a few pence per track per disc/tape produced. Also the MCPS do allow you to claim a certain proportion of the manufacturing run as promotional copies - free of royalties.

Audio CD/DVD - all your own material?
Even if all the material on your CD/DVD/Cassette is your own, you'll still have to contact the MCPS to get a 'Notification Of No Claim' - which is basically an MCPS license certifying that no royalty needs to be paid by you on that material.

Audio CD/DVD - including original sound recordings of copyright material...
Let's say you wanted to produce a compilation album using original recordings by the original artists. This is a whole different issue. You would still have to get an MCPS license for the songs from the MCPS, but, more importantly, you would ALSO have to negotiate a licensing deal with the copyright holder of the sound recording. This is usually deemed to be the record company which released the track in the first place, by virtue of the contract they have with the artist performing on the recording, or the artist itself.

© Copyright: Data CD-ROM/DVD-ROM: CDSA

CDSA stands for the Content Delivery and Storage Association. This organisation (which used to be known as IRMA) administers the anti-piracy compliance scheme relating to intellectual properties contained within CD-ROM or DVD-ROM content at the point of manufacture.

Let's say you are releasing a multimedia programme on ROM. This programme could contain segments of audio and/or video which, unless you have originated the content yourself, may potentially be subject to copyright. Likewise, the programme may contain software coding which also, unless you have programmed the coding yourself, may potentially be subject to copyright. Other forms of content, eg. text taken from books or publications, or still photographs or artistic images, can also be subject to copyright.

Most CD/DVD manufacturers are members of the CDSA scheme. As part of this scheme we require customers to complete a form detailing any copyrighted content that forms part of the programme being reproduced, plus any related permissions or licenses granted and royalties paid or payable.

ISRC Coding of Music Tracks: IFPI / PPL

ISRC coding is a way of giving music tracks a unique identifying code, which can be an aid in detecting piracy, and also be useful in facilitating radio-play royalties. The ISRC coding scheme is administered internationally by the IFPI (the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), and by the PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited) in the UK . Here's a brief description of how it works, but for further details click the link on the right...

How does the ISRC code system work?
The idea is that an artist or record label applies to the PPL and is given a series of codes - free of charge, I understand. These take the form of a 12-character alphanumeric string, such as GBXXX0600123 - where..

• the first two characters are letters indicating the country, eg. GB for Great Britain...
• the next three are letters representing the unique reference given by the IFPI to the label/artist...
• the next two characters are numbers indicating the current year...
• and the final five are numbers which are free to be allocated by the label/artist to their tracks as they wish.

So the label/artist allocates a unique code from their series to each track on any album it releases (including a different code for different versions, eg. remixes or edits, of the same track). If the label then licenses the same track to different companies in different countries, the ISRC code still remains the same and is always tied to that track. If the track turns up on some strange album without its ISRC code, or with a false code, then it's a good indication that piracy may have taken place.

So it can indicate if piracy has occurred. But does it prevent it?
No, because the ISRC code exists in the subcode area and is not embedded in the audio data. So if a track is 'ripped' it becomes separated from its ISRC code. Unfortunately there is no effective way of preventing unauthorised copying of audio CD tracks.

Radio-play royalties
Many radio stations nowadays operate automated playout systems where tracks from CDs are automatically cued up and played out on computer controlled equipment. This equipment can extract the ISRC codes from the tracks played in order to produce an automated schedule of royalties payable. So having ISRC codes can be an advantage in those circumstances where radio play is likely.

Get your ISRC codes before mastering!
With CDs, the ISRC code has to be inserted into the subcode data during the mastering process. So if you decide that you need ISRC codes, make sure you get your series from the PPL before doing the mastering!