What is a Sound Recording?

A look at the term Sound Recording and what it means for you when it comes to copyright protection.

It seems like a simple question that should have a simple answer. However, like musch of what you find in the copyright world (especially in the legal world), this question is not as simple as it first appears.

Sound recordings are defined in the law as works that result from the fixation of a series of musical, spoken or other sounds.

Copyright in a sound recording protects the particular series of sounds "fixed" (embodied in a recording) against unauthorized reproduction and revision and unauthorized distribution of those sounds, and certain unauthorized performances by means of a digital audio transmission.