Music Publishing Glossary: A Reference for Italy and the European Market

Last updated: September 2026 — by Avv. Claudia Roggero, Rome Bar since 2003, entertainment and copyright law, DANDI.media

Music publishing runs on a vocabulary that mixes contractual conventions a century old, recent statutory frameworks, and market practice that keeps moving. Several terms that look familiar from US or UK practice mean something different in Italy — and a few describe entitlements that exist there and not here.

This glossary covers the terms used in music publishing and licensing in Italy and across the EU, with the Italian specifics called out where they diverge. Entries are alphabetical.

A

Administration Deal

A publishing arrangement where the publisher acts as collecting agent and administrator only, without acquiring the underlying rights. The composer retains full ownership; the administrator registers with societies, issues licences, collects and remits net of commission — typically 10–25%. Suits established composers who want professional administration without transferring rights.

Advance

A payment to the composer or artist on signature or in instalments, recoupable against future royalties. The transparency obligation at Article 110-quater LDA requires clear information on how recoupment is calculated and which categories of expense are applied against the advance.

AGCOM

Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni, the Italian Communications Authority. Administers takedown procedures against online infringement, and — under Article 110-sexies LDA — resolves disputes on the transparency obligation and the contract adjustment mechanism.

AI Act

Regulation (EU) 2024/1689. Imposes transparency, risk management and traceability obligations on AI systems that generate or manipulate content, including music. Applies directly across the Union and shapes how contracts address AI use, voice cloning and AI-modified output. Complemented in Italy by Law 132/2025 on vocal and image identity.

Articles 110-quater to 110-septies (Italian Copyright Act)

The provisions inserted into the Italian Copyright Act by Legislative Decree 177/2021, transposing Chapter 3 of the DSM Directive. They give authors and performers rights that cannot be waived in advance.

• 110-quater — transparency obligation (DSM Article 19): regular, up-to-date and comprehensive information on exploitation and revenue.
• 110-quinquies — contract adjustment (DSM Article 20): a claim for additional fair remuneration where what was agreed proves disproportionately low against actual revenue. Reaches agreements concluded before the reform.
• 110-sexies — alternative dispute resolution (DSM Article 21), before AGCOM.
• 110-septies — right of revocation (DSM Article 22) where an exclusively licensed or transferred work is not being exploited.

The separate principle of appropriate and proportionate remuneration sits at DSM Article 18 and informs interpretation of all author and performer contracts.

For international contracts: Articles 110-quater and 110-quinquies are overriding mandatory provisions under Article 3(4) of the Rome I Regulation. A foreign governing law clause does not displace them where Italian creators or Italian-source works are involved.

Audit Right

The contractual right of the composer or performer to inspect the books of the publisher, label or licensee to verify royalty statements. Reinforced across the EU by the transparency obligation. Well-drafted contracts specify notice requirements, time limits, cost allocation and what happens when an audit finds a discrepancy.

B

Backline

Instruments and amplification used in live performance, typically supplied by the venue or the tour. Specified in the technical rider, with material cost implications for the promoter.

Brussels I bis Regulation

Regulation (EU) 1215/2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters. Determines which national court hears a cross-border publishing or copyright dispute within the EU, and how a judgment circulates between member states.

C

Catalogue

The full set of compositions controlled by a publisher, or of masters controlled by a label. Catalogue acquisitions — by publishers or investment funds, from other publishers or from individual composers — are among the most active transactions in the sector.

Italian diligence point: historic grants are construed restrictively and do not presume rights in media that did not exist at contracting. A pre-2000 catalogue may not cleanly cover streaming; a pre-2023 catalogue rarely covers AI training.

Chain of Title

The documentary sequence proving that all rights needed to exploit a composition or recording were validly acquired. For audiovisual productions, broadcasters, platforms, E&O underwriters and public funding bodies all require it, and music clearance documentation is a central element.

CMO (Collective Management Organisation)

An entity administering copyright or neighbouring rights for multiple rightsholders, operating in the EU under Directive 2014/26/EU. In Italy: SIAE and Soundreef for authors’ rights, SCF for phonogram producers, NUOVO IMAIE for performers. Linked internationally by reciprocity agreements.

Co-Publishing Agreement

The composer and publisher share ownership of the publishing rights. The composer keeps the writer’s share, paid directly through the society, and shares the publisher’s share with the publisher — often 50/50, with variations. Suits composers with a track record.

Composition

The underlying musical work — melody and lyrics — distinct from any recording of it. Protected by authors’ rights and administered through publishing arrangements. One composition can carry many recordings, each with its own neighbouring rights.

Contract Adjustment

See Articles 110-quater to 110-septies. The mechanism at Article 110-quinquies LDA allowing an author or performer to claim additional remuneration where the agreed compensation proves disproportionately low against the revenue actually generated. It cannot be excluded by contract and it reaches historic agreements — which makes it a live issue in catalogue acquisitions.

Cover Version

A new recording of an already-released composition by an artist other than the original recording artist. The cover involves only the composition, not the original master, so the cover artist owns the new recording and needs nothing from the original label or performer.

Frequently misstated: Italy has no statutory compulsory mechanical licence equivalent to section 115 of the US Copyright Act. In practice a cover of a released song can be recorded and distributed without approaching the composer individually, because SIAE and Soundreef license mechanical reproduction on general terms — but that rests on collective licensing, not on a statutory entitlement. The distinction matters if the publisher or society objects, and it matters for everything the general licence does not cover: lyric changes, translations, mash-ups and medleys all need express authorisation.

Mechanical royalties flow to the original composer and publisher. The original recording artist receives nothing from a cover unless they are also the composer.

Cue Sheet

The document listing every music cue in an audiovisual work — duration, placement, composer, publisher, master holder, type of use and society affiliations. Filed with the societies to enable collection of performance royalties on broadcast and streaming. Without an accurate cue sheet filed on time, composers and publishers do not get paid, which makes its preparation an operational priority rather than an administrative afterthought.

D

DSM Directive

Directive (EU) 2019/790 on copyright in the Digital Single Market, transposed in Italy by Legislative Decree 177/2021. Chapter 3 introduced the author and performer protections now at Articles 110-quater to 110-septies LDA: transparency, contract adjustment, alternative dispute resolution and revocation for non-exploitation, alongside the principle of appropriate and proportionate remuneration at Article 18.

E

E&O Insurance

Errors & Omissions insurance, covering residual risk of copyright, image rights and defamation claims in audiovisual production. Increasingly a delivery condition for international broadcasters and platforms. Music clearance documentation — sync, master use, cover and sample clearances — is part of the chain of title the underwriter audits before issuing.

Equitable Remuneration

Compensation due to performers and phonogram producers when recordings are broadcast, publicly communicated or made available. Collected in Italy by SCF and NUOVO IMAIE and distributed through reciprocity. Distinct from royalties under exclusive rights: it is a statutory entitlement and cannot be waived.

Exclusive Songwriter Agreement

The composer assigns exclusively to the publisher all songs written during the term, against an advance and a royalty share. The publisher acquires worldwide or defined territorial exploitation rights. The composer retains moral rights, which are inalienable, and the DSM rights on transparency, contract adjustment and revocation, which cannot be excluded.

Exploitation Obligation

The publisher’s or label’s obligation to actively exploit the work. Reinforced by the right of revocation at Article 110-septies LDA. Italian practice reads the obligation substantively: society registration alone is not exploitation, and a publisher defending a revocation claim is expected to show real commercial effort — pitching, marketing, placement.

F

Featured Use

A cue that is the primary focus of the scene, typically longer and more prominent than background use. Generates higher performance royalties, calculated by the societies from cue sheet data. Opening and closing themes are normally featured uses.

G

Gross Receipts

Total revenue from exploitation before deduction of costs, commissions or recoupment. Whether a royalty split runs on gross or net receipts is one of the most consequential drafting choices in a publishing contract.

I

In Context Use

Use of music limited to the specific scene for which the sync licence was granted, without extension to other scenes or to trailers and advertising. Distinguished from out of context use, which needs additional licensing and additional fees.

In Perpetuity

For the full term of copyright — in the EU, the author’s life plus 70 years. Under the Italian Copyright Act, publishing contracts carry a default duration of 20 years where the parties do not specify otherwise, so perpetuity has to be expressly contracted rather than assumed.

Note that perpetuity is no longer as durable as it looks: the revocation right at Article 110-septies LDA lets a creator recover rights from a contract drafted in perpetuity where the work is not being exploited.

Inalienable Rights

Rights that cannot be transferred or waived by contract. In Italy this covers moral rights — paternity, integrity, disclosure — and, in substance, the DSM rights at Articles 110-quater to 110-septies, which cannot be excluded in advance. US-style waivers of moral rights are void here. The enforceable alternative is a limitation and non-exercise clause covering defined commercial contexts.

Interactive Streaming

On-demand transmission of recorded music at the user’s request — Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Deezer. Generates both mechanical royalties and performance royalties, flowing through multiple rights, intermediaries and territories at once.

M

Master Recording

The specific sound recording of a composition. Owned by the phonogram producer — the label, or the artist in independent releases. Protected by neighbouring rights, distinct from the authors’ rights in the composition.

Master Use Licence

The licence from the owner of a master authorising synchronisation of that specific recording with an audiovisual work. Required alongside the sync licence from the publisher. The same composition can have many masters, each needing its own licence — which is why a cover is often a cheaper route than the original recording.

Mechanical Licence

Authorisation to reproduce a composition in physical or digital form. In Italy administered through SIAE or Soundreef on general terms rather than negotiated individually. In streaming, the mechanical royalty is paid alongside the performance royalty.

Moral Rights (Diritti Morali)

The author’s rights over attribution and the integrity of the work, distinct from economic rights. In Italy: paternity, integrity, disclosure, and withdrawal from circulation in exceptional circumstances. Inalienable, unwaivable and perpetual, surviving the author’s death and enforceable by heirs indefinitely — a significant divergence from US practice, where work-for-hire structures leave little equivalent.

N

Neighbouring Rights (Diritti Connessi)

Rights of performers, phonogram producers, broadcasters and other “neighbours” of the author, distinct from authors’ rights in the composition. Managed in Italy by SCF for labels and NUOVO IMAIE for performers.

Duration for phonograms: 50 years from fixation, extended to 70 years from the first lawful publication or communication where that occurs within the initial 50-year period. A phonogram never published in that window stays at 50 years. Harmonised by Directive 2006/116/EC as amended by Directive 2011/77/EU.

Net Receipts

Revenue after deduction of specified costs, commissions or expenses. Most publishing royalty calculations run on net receipts, with the permitted deductions specified contractually. How transparently that calculation is presented is squarely within the Article 110-quater obligation.

NUOVO IMAIE

The principal Italian society for performers’ neighbouring rights. Collects and distributes equitable remuneration when performances are publicly communicated in Italy, with reciprocity agreements with foreign performer societies including PPL, SoundExchange, AIE and GVL.

O

Out of Context Use

Use of music beyond the scene for which the sync licence was granted — trailers, behind-the-scenes content, marketing, soundtrack albums. Requires additional licensing and additional fees, and is one of the most commonly overlooked items at delivery.

P

Performance Rights

Rights to authorise public performance. For compositions, administered by authors’ societies — SIAE and Soundreef in Italy; ASCAP, BMI, PRS, GEMA, SACEM abroad. For recordings, they generate equitable remuneration collected by SCF and NUOVO IMAIE.

Performing Rights Organisation (PRO)

The English-language term for an authors’ society. Italy has two: SIAE, historic, and Soundreef, independent. They license public performance of compositions — broadcast, radio, live venues, hospitality, streaming — and distribute to members and to foreign authors through reciprocity.

Phonogram Producer

The producer of a sound recording, who owns the neighbouring rights in the master. Usually the label; in independent releases, often the artist.

PRCA

Pubblica Registrazione Cinematografica e Audiovisiva, the Italian public audiovisual registry maintained by the Ministry of Culture. Italian audiovisual works are transcribed there, particularly for access to public funds and the cinema tax credit. Music licensing documentation forms part of the registration package.

Publisher’s Share

The portion of publishing royalties belonging to the publisher, as distinct from the writer’s share. In SIAE and most society systems, performance royalties split 50/50 between the two by default. How the publisher’s share is then allocated between publisher and composer is negotiated.

R

Recoupment

The process by which a publisher or label recovers an advance from royalties before paying further sums. Which expenses are recoupable, how the calculation runs, and what happens to an unrecouped balance at contract end are all matters the transparency obligation reaches.

Reciprocity Agreement

The bilateral agreement between societies in different countries allowing rightsholders in one to receive royalties from exploitation in the other. SIAE has reciprocity with most major foreign societies. Directive 2014/26/EU harmonises the standards for cross-border collective management within the EU.

Revocation

The right at Article 110-septies LDA, transposing DSM Article 22, allowing an author or performer who has exclusively licensed or transferred rights to act for termination, in whole or in part, or to revoke the exclusivity, where the work is not being exploited. Subject to procedural requirements and a waiting period. It cannot be excluded by contract.

Reversion

The return of rights from publisher to composer, or label to artist, on defined triggers: term expiry, non-exploitation, breach, insolvency, or other contractual events. Reversion mechanics have been substantially strengthened by the DSM framework and are increasingly negotiated rather than accepted as standard.

Royalty Statement

The periodic accounting showing royalty calculations, exploitation channels, deductions and net sums due. Article 110-quater LDA requires statements detailed enough to verify compliance with the contract, which in practice means the statement must be capable of being checked, not merely received.

S

SCF — Società Consortile Fonografici

The principal Italian society for phonogram producers’ neighbouring rights. Collects equitable remuneration when recordings are publicly communicated in Italy, with reciprocity with foreign equivalents including PPL, GVL, AGEDI and SPEDIDAM.

Score

Music composed specifically for an audiovisual work, as distinct from licensed pre-existing music. Commissioned through a composer agreement, and structured as a buy-out or on a royalty basis. Note that under Article 44 LDA the composer of music written for a film is a statutory co-author of the audiovisual work, not merely a supplier — which is why US-style work-for-hire drafting needs adapting.

SIAE — Società Italiana degli Autori ed Editori

The historic Italian authors’ society. Administers public performance, mechanical reproduction, synchronisation and online rights for composers, lyricists and publishers, with reciprocity with most major foreign societies. Operates under Directive 2014/26/EU and the Italian Copyright Act.

Soundreef

The principal independent collective management entity in Italy, competing with SIAE since the 2017 liberalisation aligned with Directive 2014/26/EU. Different commission structures and international agreement networks. Composers choose between the two, and in some cases split by rights category.

Sub-Publishing

One publisher grants exploitation rights in a specific territory to another. The primary structure for Italian music exploited abroad and foreign music exploited in Italy. The sub-publisher handles local society registration, sync licensing and collection, retains a commission, and remits the balance.

Sync Licence (Synchronisation Licence)

The licence from the publisher — or directly from the composer — authorising synchronisation of a composition with an audiovisual work. Required alongside the master use licence covering the specific recording. One of the most commercially active areas of modern publishing.

T

Technical Rider

The binding annex to a live performance contract specifying sound, lighting, stage, backline, monitoring and power requirements. Negotiated between artist or production manager and promoter, with significant cost implications.

Territory

The geographic scope of a grant of rights. Common structures: worldwide; regional blocs; named countries; reserved territories where the grant does not extend. Interacts with society reciprocity and with national copyright frameworks.

Transparency Obligation

The obligation at Article 110-quater LDA, transposing DSM Article 19, requiring publishers, labels and other licensees to give authors and performers regular, up-to-date and comprehensive information on exploitation, including revenue generated and remuneration due. It applies to existing contracts as well as new ones, and it is an overriding mandatory provision that survives a foreign choice of law.

V

Voice Cloning

Generation of a vocal performance by a model trained on a specific artist’s voice. Engages several regimes at once: personality rights, under which a voice is protected independently of copyright; Law 132/2025 on vocal and image identity; transparency obligations under the EU AI Act; potentially the licensing position on the recordings used for training; and, separately, standard clearance of the underlying composition. Commercial release imitating a named artist requires that artist’s express consent.

W

Work for Hire

A US structure under which the commissioner of a work is deemed the author, with nothing remaining with the actual creator. It does not translate into Italian law. The human creator remains the author; economic rights require valid express assignment rather than statutory deeming; moral rights remain inalienable; and the DSM rights cannot be excluded. European drafters use modified assignment structures with limitation clauses instead of work-for-hire language.

Writer’s Share

The portion of publishing royalties belonging directly to the composer or lyricist, as distinct from the publisher’s share. In SIAE and most society systems it is paid directly to the writer through the society, or through reciprocity from the home society, independently of the contractual arrangements between writer and publisher.

Why the vocabulary matters

The terms above combine historic convention, EU harmonisation, national specifics and fast technological change. Several look familiar from US or UK practice and mean something materially different here — work for hire, moral rights waiver and compulsory mechanical licence chief among them. Others describe rights that did not exist a few years ago and cannot be contracted away now.

This is a working tool rather than an academic reference: each entry has consequences for the contracts you negotiate, the royalties you collect, and the disputes you may end up in.

How DANDI supports artists, publishers, labels and music supervisors

DANDI.media is a boutique IP and entertainment firm with offices in Rome and Genoa. Our music practice acts for international artists, labels, publishers, sync agencies, music supervisors and promoters on the Italian and European dimensions of their work:

• Publishing contracts — exclusive songwriter, co-publishing, administration and sub-publishing
• Record deals — artist–label agreements across major and independent structures
• Sync licensing — clearance, drafting, multi-territory coordination
• Live performance — tour and festival contracts, tour personnel
• Collecting societies — SIAE, Soundreef, SCF and NUOVO IMAIE registration, audits and disputes
• DSM rights — transparency, contract adjustment and revocation, advisory and enforcement
• Catalogue diligence — whether historic grants actually cover streaming and AI uses
• AI clauses — drafting under the EU AI Act and Law 132/2025
• Litigation and enforcement — infringement, plagiarism, royalty disputes

We work in English, Italian and French.

Book an initial consultation with Avv. Claudia Roggero.

Related resources

This glossary states the position at the date above. Confirm current provisions and tariffs before relying on it for a transaction.

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