Artist Ownership & Rights
The Artist Keeps The Music
OTA’s service model begins with artist ownership, documented authority, transparent scope, and no quiet transfer of the catalog underneath the work.
The Core Standard
Masters, Publishing, Copyrights, And Accounts Stay With The Artist
Standard OTA service work does not transfer ownership of the artist’s songs, masters, publishing, copyrights, catalog, distributor relationship, or platform accounts.
What The Artist Retains
- Masters and sound recordings
- Publishing and compositions
- Copyrights and underlying rights
- Catalog and distributor relationship
- Artist accounts, data, and approved assets
What OTA May Receive
- Payment for defined services
- Approved project expenses
- Limited usage rights needed to perform the work
- Transparent campaign-specific back-end participation only when separately agreed
- Credit for completed work when approved
Authority Matters
OTA Cannot Promote Rights Nobody Can Confirm
The submitting party must be authorized to provide the music, images, video, logos, names, credits, and account access used in the project.
The recording and the underlying composition are different rights. OTA intake may ask who controls each because campaigns, downloads, video, and licensing use them differently.
Photos, footage, fonts, artwork, venue recordings, logos, cover songs, tribute marks, and stock media can carry separate permissions. The client must disclose limits.
Any project-specific revenue share must be written, transparent, limited to the approved scope, and agreed before work begins. It is never assumed.
Use role-based or delegated access when available. OTA does not need to own the artist’s core account to do approved work.
Practical Safeguards
What OTA Verifies Before Work
No website promise replaces legal advice, but a professional intake should identify rights questions before money and outreach make them more expensive.
Credits
Legal artist name, writers, producers, featured performers, publishers, labels, and release identifiers.
Permissions
Authority to use music, photos, video, artwork, logos, live recordings, and third-party material.
Access
Who owns domains, hosting, DSP profiles, distributor accounts, social platforms, ad accounts, and analytics.
Protect The Work Before Promoting It
Bring accurate credits, clear authority, and honest ownership questions into intake before the campaign begins.