Question: John is feeling inspired, so he writes down some chords and lyrics for a new song. Which type of copyright protects his work?
- Sound recording
- Musical composition
- Music video
- None of the above. Copyright law only protects his song once it’s uploaded to YouTube.
Explanation
Copyright in a song can protect the underlying musical composition separately from any recorded performance. Chords and lyrics are part of the musical work, even before a master recording exists. A Sound Recording asset represents the recorded audio master, not the written song elements alone. Uploading to YouTube is not what creates the distinction between a composition and a recording.
Why the other options are incorrect
Sound recording is incorrect because no recorded audio master is described.
Music video is incorrect because visual content is not part of the described work.
None of the above is incorrect because copyright can apply to the musical work without a YouTube upload.
Source for verification
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6175220?hl=en
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6175227?hl=en
The answer(s) to the question is highlighted in the BOLD text above. You can also find more questions and answers related to the exams on the "YouTube Music Rights Management" page.