A sound master is the original media on which your song was recorded. This is the source of the song recorded on a CD. A sound master can be on an analog reel, a two-inch digital reel, a digital audio tape (DAT) or data files from a sequencer whose elements can be recalled and re-mixed for future re-releases and written on thousands or millions of CDs for distribution everywhere.
Usually, a record label owns the rights to the sound master, especially when it is the label that invests in the arranging, recording, mixing and mastering of your song. It can then deal this sound master to interested music users.
By virtue of their investment in the recording, mixing and mastering of their songs, many independent artists own (and should own) the rights to the sound masters of their songs. Several of our songwriters on M2K own the rights to the sound masters of their songs and reap good economic benefits from owning both rights to song and sound master.
A sound master should not be confused with the demo version of a song. A demo version is just a home studio recording, typically arranged and performed by the songwriter himself and burned on a CD as wav or Mp3 file for presentation purposes. This is cheap to produce. Demos are not of broadcast quality and are therefore not played on FM radio, TV or used for commercial purposes.
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