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Who is an author (composer and lyricist)

Who is an author?

The author is the person who came up with the whole thing. Without an author there would be nothing to play, nothing to record and nothing to sell. In the music industry, the author is the “creator” of the work – and the law grants them specific rights for it.

What does the law say?

Under the Czech Copyright Act (Act No. 121/2000 Coll., Section 5), the author is the natural person who created the work. The key words are natural person – in other words, a human being of flesh and blood.

This means the author cannot be:

A company, an association or any production company
A band as a whole (the authors are always specific people)
Artificial intelligence
(Rights to music created with the help of AI)
(How to credit AI in the metadata)
An animal

The two faces of an author

In music, authorship is most often split into two parts – and both are of equal standing:

Composer

The person who came up with the music – the melody, harmony and rhythm. Without them, there would be nothing to play.

Lyricist

The person who wrote the words – the song lyrics. Without them, there would be nothing to sing.

These roles can be combined in different ways. Take a look at some concrete examples:

Tomáš Klus

A typical example of a Czech singer-songwriter. He writes his own lyrics, composes the music and sings it himself. All three roles in one person.

Composer Lyricist Performer

A typical Czech pop set-up: Michal David

The music was written by a composer (e.g. Michal David), the lyrics by a lyricist (e.g. Pavel Vrba), and the song was sung by a performer – Lucie Bílá, for example. Three different people, three different roles, each with their own rights.

Composer: Michal David Lyricist: Pavel Vrba Performer: Lucie Bílá

A band as a team: Kabát

The band writes the music together – but you cannot write “Kabát” in a work registration with OSA or in the metadata. You have to list the names of the specific members who took part in writing it.

Composers: Josef Vojtek, Tomáš Krulich, ...

How does it work at Bez Labelu?

When adding a recording, you fill in three separate fields

Composer is required: Without a composer's name, the form will not save the recording – platforms require this information. When you add a recording, the field is pre-filled with the first and last name from your account, so if someone else composed the music (or someone else as well), edit it.
Lyricist and arranger are separate fields: The lyricist and the arranger each have their own field – you do not need to put them in the Composer field. Both fields are optional. Always fill in the lyricist when the recording has lyrics – even if they were written by the same person who composed the music. Fill in the arranger only when a separate arrangement was actually created.
Use the legal name: All three fields are for a real first and last name – or an officially registered pseudonym. Nicknames and band names do not belong here. You will find the details in the article The Author field: Dos and don'ts.
Pseudonym only sometimes: You may only use a songwriter pseudonym if it is officially registered with a collecting society and documented in the app in the Requests section (Songwriter pseudonym). More information in the article on pseudonyms.

How to enter the author's name correctly

The format matters – platforms are sensitive to it

Format: First name Last name – exactly as it appears on your ID card. A capital letter at the start of each name.
A pseudonym only if it is registered – for example with OSA or an equivalent collecting society abroad. Spotify penalises unregistered nicknames and/or does not accept them at all.
More than one author? Separate the names with a comma and a space.
Never: A band name, a company, a production company – these are not specific people.
Correct: Jan Novák, Jana Nováková
Wrong: Band XY or DJ Phantom (without a registered pseudonym)

How does an author earn money?

An author earns primarily through authors' collecting societies – in the Czech Republic, that is OSA. When a song is played on the radio, performed at a concert or streamed, OSA collects the money and passes it on to the author. If you are not a member of OSA, you miss out on this stream of income – and the distributor (Bez Labelu, in this case) cannot secure it for you.

Read: Why register with OSA – the money you are missing out on