A practical legal guide for musicians, songwriters, and producers Quick answer (save this) A released track usually involves two separate assets: Composition (publishing):  melody and lyrics. Owned by the songwriter(s) and lyricist(s), sometimes administered by a publisher. Master (recording):  the recorded performance people stream. Owned by the master owner (often the artist, a label, or an investor). Most payment problems start when artists treat these as the same thing, o