General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why Not Socialism?: The Right’s red-baiting has been far too effective [View all]Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)The Bee Gees, the Beatles, etc., all owned the songs they wrote, until and unless they sold those rights.
They got/get profits every time the song is sold, no matter who performs it.
Artists who are merely the performers and don't "own" the songs, still get a piece of the action, if they write that in their contract. They don't get a salary. They get royalties (profits) every time the song is sold. Same thing with actors.
If you're just starting out, and you need the company to finance you and take a chance, you have to sign a lousy contract that may not give you royalties. You don't HAVE to sign it (that is, you must sign away your rights), but if you want that first chance, you have to take what's offered. Then when you make a name for yourself, you re-do the contract.