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No. 26Rights & Licenses
Also called remix licence, remixing, derivative recordings
Who controls the right to create and release remixes of your recordings.
Watch closely
Broad label remix rights without artist approval can harm artistic brand and generate income the artist doesn't share in.
Remix rights cover the creation of altered versions of a recording, changing the beat, arrangement, or structure. As the recording artist, you have an interest in controlling who can alter your work and how those remixes are released. Labels often retain broad remix rights, including the right to commission remixes without your approval.
Unauthorised or poorly executed remixes can dilute an artist's sound and brand. Conversely, the right remix can extend a track's commercial life significantly. Artists should retain approval rights over who creates remixes and how they are released.
The same clause is drafted three ways. These are the positions we see, worst first, so you can tell at a glance which one is in front of you.
The drafting language and the negotiation moves for this clause are part of the workspace.
You have read what the clause means and where the risk sits. The rest is the side-by-side of how it reads when it is against you and when it is not, plus the specific moves that get it there.