# Master recording

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Original recording of audio performance

A **master recording**, or simply a **master**, is the original recording—including [post-recording mixes](/source/Mastering_(audio)) and [production edits](/source/Record_producer)—of an audio performance, from which all analog and digital copies of the audio are derived.[1][2] The term refers only to the recorded performance of a song; it does not cover the composition of recorded material, which is a separate copyright that belongs to the songwriter unless ownership of the copyright is transferred or sold to a separate entity.[3]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Sheryl Crow: Universal Studios fire destroyed all my master tapes"](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-48745638). *[BBC](/source/BBC)*. 2019-06-25. Retrieved 2025-12-08.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Passman, Donald S. (2006). *All you need to know about the music business* (6th ed.; [rev. and updated] ed.). New York: [Free Press](/source/Free_Press_(publisher)). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7432-9318-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7432-9318-1).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Osborne, Richard (2023). *Owning the masters: a history of sound recording copyright*. New York, London, Oxford, New Delhi, Sydney: [Bloomsbury Publishing](/source/Bloomsbury_Publishing). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-5013-4593-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-5013-4593-7).

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