Does Beyonc Own Her Masters?
Are you wondering if the Texas-born pop diva owns all the master recordings of her famous hits? Has she always owned her masters and called her own shots?
Beyoncé owns her masters. She was not the exclusive owner of her master recordings until 2011, when she gained full control over her career and recordings by firing her former manager. Later on, she decided to start a brand new company that would represent her fully.
Read on to find more about the topic that has recently been heavily discussed all over social media.
The Birth of Parkwood Entertainment
Following the footsteps of Madonna, as Beyoncé herself mentioned, Beyoncé started a completely different journey with a new company representing her, this time managed by Queen B. This could have been the act that began the independence movement that is ongoing in the music industry. But what was the status quo regarding masters before?
If an artist owns their masters, it means that they are completely in control of what happens to the original version of the song or album they release. When a record label manages the master rights, it implies that they pay royalties from the sales to the artist. In the past, famous artists give all the rights to the record label they were under. However, this has shown to be highly unfavorable for them. That’s why artists currently demand rights to their recordings to be independent of the record label and especially, to avoid future problems with the ownership.
Beyoncé’s Journey Towards Independence
Beyoncé made herself independent nine years ago, and it seems like it was the right step forward. Her 5th album Beyoncé, first released under Parkwood Entertainment, was an extreme success acknowledged by both her fans and the critics. She has released three more albums under her management company: Lemonade, Homecoming: The Live Album, and The Lion King: The Gift, all of them widely acclaimed. Building its reputation, Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment was included twice on the list of Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Music.
Beyoncé did not just become her own boss. She also became bosses to other musicians. The popular sister musicians, Chloe X Halle were signed under Parkwood Entertainment.
It’s nice to see Beyoncé guiding other stars who are just starting their music career. She is in a good position to guide and mentor others.
Starting a company like this was surely a perfect solution for Beyoncé, but what about the others in the industry that have struggled or are currently fighting for the rights to their own “voice”?
Other Celebrities That Own Their Masters
Beyoncé is not the only artist who was able to break the “old rules” of the music industry by claiming her masters’ rights and becoming free of a record label.
Nonetheless, not everyone has it as easy as Queen B did. Taylor Swift’s conflict with her music manager became widely watched in the media when he bought her ex-record label Big Machine Records. Thus, he gained control over six of her past albums. If Taylor intends to re-record her old records, acquiring rights to them would be a necessity.
Rihanna took control over her masters in 2016, and by that, she proved her great abilities as a businesswoman. Iggy Azalea, on the other hand, doesn’t have rights to every single piece of her music. That’s why she had decided to make a turning point – her newest album In My Defense (2019) is already under her ownership.
Although we hear about successful cases of these ladies, it’s necessary to keep in mind that the custom of having masters under a record label is still prevalent in the music industry.
Beyoncé indeed made a bold step by coming out with her management company back in 2011. She has been in charge of her master recordings ever since, and by doing that, she avoided problems such as Taylor Swift’s recent ones.
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