question How Does Music Distribution Work in South Africa?

[Borrowdale Barron]

Let's say you run your own record label like Cassper Nyovest's Family Tree Records. How do you manage music distribution for your music and artists you have signed?

 

[Black Panther]

Let's say you run your own record label like Cassper Nyovest's Family Tree Records. How do you manage music distribution for your music and artists you have signed?

Music distribution is about getting the product (Singles & Albums) to the consumer (or the listener).

In current times people consume music from online platforms such as:

• YouTube
• Amazon Music
• Spotify
• Deezer
• Tidal
• Apple Music

Back in the day people would either buy CDs, Vinyl or listen to the radio. But the means of distributing music have changed due to the progress of digital technology.

In the example you have given about Cassper Nyovest's Family Tree Records, it's either Cassper Nyovest has the option to set up his own music distribution division that pretty much acts as a subsidiary of Family Tree Records.

Or in that same Family Tree Records example, Cassper Nyovest can opt to assign an exclusive license to a music aggregator company to handle all the necessary music distribution on behalf of Family Tree Records.

But remember all Family Tree contracts would also include how Cassper Nyovest's record label will handle the music distribution, music publishing, and finally who gets to own the sound recording copyright of any work produced in the duration of the record contract.

 

[Borrowdale Barron]

What about the Family Tree Records artists signed to Cassper Nyovest's record label do they get to keep their masters?

 

[Black Panther]

What about the Family Tree Records artists signed to Cassper Nyovest's record label do they get to keep their masters?

That issue comes down to what agreement they signed to with Cassper Nyovest. Normally the record label keeps the sound recording copyright whilst the music publishing copyright is owned by the artist.

 

[Borrowdale Barron]

That issue comes down to what agreement they signed to with Cassper Nyovest. Normally the record label keeps the sound recording copyright whilst the music publishing copyright is owned by the artist.

Does that mean if Nadia Nakai leaves Cassper Nyovest's record label in future her masters will still be owned by Cassper Nyovest Family Tree Records?

 

[Black Panther]

Does that mean if Nadia Nakai leaves Cassper Nyovest's record label in future her masters will still be owned by Cassper Nyovest Family Tree Records?

Not really unless she signed a record contract were she agreed to give her sound recording copyright license to Cassper Nyovest in perpetuity.

 

[Borrowdale Barron]

Not really unless she signed a record contract were she agree to give her sound recording copyright license to Cassper Nyovest in perpetuity.

What does in perpetuity mean?

 

[Black Panther]

What does in perpetuity mean?

It means you would have signed your works to a record label forever. Although sometimes this can be disputed in courts of law but it usually costs an arm and a leg to do so because of litigation.

 

[Borrowdale Barron]

It means you would have signed your works to a record label forever. Although sometimes this can be disputed in courts of law but it usually costs an arm and a leg to do so because of litigation.

So everytime Nadia Nakai releases a single or an album Cassper Nyovest makes money from that?

 

[Black Panther]

So everytime Nadia Nakai releases a single or an album Cassper Nyovest makes money from that?

Yes.

 

[Numero Uno]

Yes.

How?

 

[Black Panther]

How?

Because of several reasons which are:

• You can't sell music without obtaining a license from the sound recording owner (i.e usually from the record label)
• You can't stream music without a sound recording copyright agreement (e.g to use the digital master whether mp3, aac, wav, flac or ogg)

So that means the record label will paid mechanical royalties for the use of their sound recording copyright.

Other than that the artist will make money from music publishing which requires a topic of it's own.