The record label that published the sound recording is normally the one who owns the rights to it in the United States. This is due to the fact that the record label is often in charge of providing financial support, producing physical copies of the recording, and distributing it to stores and streaming platforms. Thus, the exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, and publicly perform the sound recording are assigned to the record label.
The composition itself, however, is normally owned by the songwriter or their music publisher, so this is something to keep in mind. In other words, even though a record company owns the rights to a sound recording, they still require permission from the composer to use their work in the recording. This is the reason why, in addition to the performer and record label, a recording frequently lists a number of songwriters and publishers as well.
So, who ought to be the owner of a song’s master recording? Since they are the ones spending time and money on creating and promoting the album, it makes logical in most situations for the record label to be the owner of the master recording. The artist may want to keep ownership of the master recording in specific circumstances, though. For instance, if an artist is well-known and has a large following, they may have more negotiating power and be able to get a better bargain by keeping ownership.
In conclusion, the rights to a composition belong to the author or their music publisher, whereas the rights to a sound recording are often owned by the record company that produced it. The specifics of the recording and the negotiating power of the parties involved will determine who should possess the master recording.