Owning the Masters provides the first in-depth history of sound
recording copyright. It is this form of intellectual property that
underpins the workings of the recording industry. Rather than being
focused on the manufacture of goods, this industry is centred on the
creation, exploitation and protection of rights. The development and
control of these rights has not been straightforward. This book explores
the lobbying activities of record companies: the principal creators,
owners and defenders of sound recording copyright. It addresses the
counter-activity of recording artists, in particular those who have
fought against the legislative and contractual practices of record
companies to claim these master rights for themselves. In addition, this
book looks at the activities of the listening public, large numbers of
whom have been labelled 'pirates' for trespassing on these rights. The
public has played its own part in shaping copyright legislation. This is
an essential subject for an understanding of the economic, artistic and
political value of recorded sound.