Why should musicians seal their music before signing contracts?

Sealing your music (applying a qualified electronic timestamp) before signing any contract establishes a court-admissible record that your music existed in its specific form at a specific date, before any record label, publisher, producer, or distributor had access to it. This protects you if: (1) a label hears your music and later claims they had a similar idea independently; (2) a producer claims they created key elements you submitted; (3) contract negotiations fail and you later discover your unreleased music has been used; (4) disputes arise over which version of a track you agreed to release. The qualified timestamp from an eIDAS QTSP (eIDAS Art. 41(2)) proves your version predated any contract, independently of what any party claims afterward.

What should musicians timestamp before a label deal?

Before any label, publishing, management, or distribution deal: (1) Master recordings, the final mixed and mastered audio files; (2) Demos, all demo versions that were submitted or shared; (3) Lyrics and lead sheets, the written composition; (4) Produced tracks and stems, if you produced the music, timestamp the project file and stems; (5) Email submissions and pitch materials, evidence of what you shared and when; (6) Any agreement drafts or term sheets received, establishing what was proposed before a contract was signed; (7) Co-writer split sheets, signed agreements with any collaborators. Each timestamp costs from CHF 5 and creates a legal presumption of the content and date. It is a comprehensive protective record established before any commercial relationship begins.

What rights does a record label typically claim and how can musicians protect themselves?

Record labels typically claim ownership of master recordings (the sound recordings themselves), the right to distribute and exploit these masters for a defined or indefinite term, and sometimes publishing rights (the composition copyright). Musicians typically retain (unless assigned): the composition copyright (melody + lyrics), performance rights (managed through collecting societies like SUISA), and moral rights (attribution + integrity rights, which are non-waivable in Switzerland and most EU jurisdictions). To protect yourself: (1) always have a qualified entertainment lawyer review any label contract; (2) timestamp all pre-deal recordings so you have independent evidence of what you owned before the deal; (3) negotiate retention of composition rights; (4) negotiate clear reversion clauses if the label fails to commercially exploit the master recordings.

How do moral rights protect musicians in Switzerland?

Swiss copyright law (URG Art. 9-11) protects moral rights, rights that protect the personal relationship between a creator and their work. In Switzerland, moral rights include: the right of attribution (to be named as author), the right of integrity (to prevent distortion or mutilation of the work), and the right of access (to access a copy of the work). Unlike economic rights, moral rights in Switzerland cannot be fully waived or transferred. They remain with the creator even after selling the economic rights. This means: even if you assign your master rights to a label, you retain the right to be credited and the right to object to distortions of your work that damage your reputation. A qualified electronic timestamp on the original recording establishes the authenticated original work for purposes of integrity right claims.

What is the difference between composition rights and master rights in music?

Composition rights (also called publishing rights or songwriter rights) protect the underlying musical work, the melody and lyrics. These are typically owned by the songwriter(s) and managed by collecting societies and music publishers. Master rights (also called recording rights) protect the specific sound recording, the way the composition was performed and recorded at a specific session. These are typically owned by the record label or the artist who financed the recording. A single song has both: 'Yesterday' by The Beatles has composition rights (Lennon/McCartney) and master rights (the 1965 recording). In Switzerland: composition rights go to SUISA; performance and master royalties go to SwissPerform. A qualified timestamp on both the written composition and the master recording establishes separate creation dates for both rights layers.

Seal Your Music Before the Contract: Producer Guide

Scellez votre musique avant le contrat : comment les producteurs protègent leur catalogue

Beats, hooks et paroles circulent sur WhatsApp bien avant la signature d'un contrat. Sans horodatage objectif, les litiges de propriété sont inévitables. Un timestamp cryptographique élimine cette ambiguïté définitivement.

Dani Wattenhofer· Co-Founder & Innovation

·April 21, 2026· 7 min de lecture

En aout 2024, un producteur de musique zurichois a partage un instrumental indit via WeTransfer avec un A&R d'un label berlinois apres un showcase. Le label a decline la signature. Quatre mois plus tard, le producteur a entendu une structure melodique qui ressemblait etroitement a sa piste non publiee dans le premier single d'un artiste signe. Le label a declare que l'artiste avait developpe la melodie independamment. Le producteur disposait d'un historique de lien WeTransfer et d'un dossier Dropbox. Son avocat a explique que les dates du systeme de fichiers sont manipulables, que les metadonnees WeTransfer ne sont pas admissibles devant les tribunaux, et que sans horodatage qualifie, le producteur n'avait aucune base legale. Le litige n'a jamais atteint un tribunal, car sans preuve, il n'y avait rien a deposer.

L'industrie musicale a toujours fonctionne sur la confiance: poignees de main, promesses et relations. Ce modele fonctionne jusqu'au jour ou il ne fonctionne plus. Et quand il s'effondre, il s'effondre devant un tribunal, avec des avocats, avec des annees de votre vie et de votre carriere en jeu. La cause la plus frequente des litiges de propriete intellectuelle dans la musique n'est pas le vol. C'est l'ambiguite. Deux personnes en studio, un fil WhatsApp de notes vocales, un document collaboratif qui a evolue pendant des mois, et aucun enregistrement objectif de qui a contribue quoi et quand. Un horodatage cryptographique, cree avant de partager, avant de signer, avant de collaborer, elimine definitivement cette ambiguite.

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Scellez votre musique avant le contrat : comment les producteurs protègent leur catalogue

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