What Does Owning Your Masters Mean in 2025?
In short, masters are the very foundation of your music's value. But what does it actually mean to own your masters and why is it so crucial to understand its implications? Let’s break it all down.
What are masters?
Masters or master rights refer to the original recordings of a song or album. Any copies, streams or licenses of your music all stem from this master recording - so as you can imagine, ownership of these rights is highly sought after and is why there’s much public discourse around who should have control over them.
When you own your masters, you have full creative control over how your music is used, distributed, and ultimately - monetised. This is obviously a powerful position to be in, but it's one that not all artists achieve right away. But more on this a little later on.
What is a master recording?
Owning your masters means that you hold the copyright for the original sound recordings of a track. This recording is what’s known as the ‘Master Rights’.
Master rights
As we touched upon above, these rights enable the owner to earn royalties whenever the original recording is streamed, downloaded or reproduced in any way. Master rights usually belong to either the artists themselves or their record label.
Publishing rights
Where master rights look after the recording of your songs, publishing rights cover the musical composition of your tracks. This can include its melody, structure, and often the lyrics. These rights are usually owned by the song’s original writer or composer, but again can be owned by labels if that has been outlined within your individual deal.
Neighbouring Rights
If you own your master rights, you’re also entitled to collect neighbouring rights royalties. These royalties are earned whenever your music is played internationally on TV, radio, or in public spaces, offering an additional income stream.
Services like Ditto Music Publishing can help by registering your music with the appropriate collection societies to ensure you receive all the royalties you’re entitled to. Learn more and upgrade to Pro.
Why is owning your masters important?
Owning your masters essentially puts everything back in your own hands, giving you full protection over your music’s usage, more control over the creative direction you want to take, and a higher earning potential for your career in the long run.
Licensing and usage
When you own your masters, no one else can use your music without your permission. This includes sync placements in commercials, films, TV shows, or even cover versions of your songs. You have the final say on where and how your music is used. As you should.
More money back to you
Music sync licensing deals and streaming revenue often funnel the majority of earnings back to whoever owns the masters. If a label owns your masters, they’ll get the largest cut and you might only receive a small percentage as the recording artist. Owning your masters ensures you keep the majority of the profits.
Your musical legacy
Depending on how successful you are, your music can generate income for you and your family for decades to come. Royalties and sync deals can continue to roll in long after your music’s initial release and if you own your masters, you’ll keep reaping the rewards of your success.
It’s much better for your future earnings to go to either yourself, your family or loved ones than into the pockets of faceless label bosses.
Empowerment and Artistic Freedom
Leaving out the financial side of things for a second, arguably the most appealing aspect of owning your masters lies in the artistic and creative freedom you’re given.
Without having ownership of your masters, labels or other stakeholders can dictate how your music is created and used, sometimes even against your wishes.
Just take Raye's recent struggles with her record label as a powerful example of an artist fighting to reclaim creative freedom from a record label. This is just one of the many outcomes that need to be weighed up when deciding on staying independent vs signing a record deal.
Owning your masters puts the power in your hands to shape your career and legacy.
How do artists lose control of their masters?
For decades, traditional record deals often required artists to sign over their master rights to the label. In exchange, labels would fund recording, promotion, and distribution. While this arrangement provided valuable support for artists, it also meant they were giving up control of their most valuable asset: their music.
One of the most well-publicised case studies linked to masters ownership is that of Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun.
This public dispute began after Braun’s acquisition of Swift’s former record label, Big Machine Records, giving him ownership of the masters to her first six albums.
Swift expressed clear frustration over not being given the opportunity to purchase her masters herself and accused Braun of using the acquisition to exert control over her work.
In response, Swift began re-recording her old albums to regain ownership of her music and give fans an alternative to the original versions. In the end, Taylor got her desired outcome but only after years of serious difficulty and inconvenience. Not something you’d want to get involved in.
How to own your masters
Stay Independent
Many artists now choose to release music independently, avoiding traditional label deals altogether. By funding and distributing their own music, you can maintain full ownership of your masters as well as more control over your career as a whole.
Make smart deals
If you do work with a label however, it’s vital you negotiate fair terms and at least pitch for immediate or later ownership of your masters. A typical deal could involve you keeping the money from licensing deals and the label takes outright sales profits or regaining your masters after a specific period of time.
Buy back your masters
Just as in Taylor Swift’s case, some artists who initially signed over their masters to a label or manager, later choose to purchase them back once they’ve achieved financial success. It obviously helps if you have millions in the bank, but this is still an option on the table to many artists who want to take their music in a more independent direction.
Start your own record label
Some modern labels operate with artist-first approaches, allowing musicians to retain their master rights or share ownership more equitably. When distributing music with Ditto, you can choose to start your own label and keep hold of everything you earn.
The music industry is shifting. With digital platforms and direct-to-fan relationships, artists have more tools than ever to take control of their careers. Owning your masters is a cornerstone of this empowerment, giving you the ability to reap the full benefits of your creativity.
Remember: your music is your legacy and owning your masters ensures that your legacy remains in your hands.
At Ditto, we work closely with artists, labels, and composers to ensure they understand their rights and make the most of their music. Whether it’s securing placements in sync or navigating complex contracts, our mission is to help creators maximise their potential while retaining as much control as possible.
So get started with a free 30-day Ditto trial and keep 100% of everything your music earns!
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