Amelia DaviesJack Savoretti releases ninth album on 10 April 2026: what every music artist should know about royalties and contracts
British-Italian singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti released his ninth studio album We Will Always Be The Way We Were on 10 April 2026, twenty years after his debut. With a sold-out Royal Albert Hall concert on 23 April and a 29-date European autumn tour starting in September, Savoretti's career milestone is a reminder that music success is not just about talent — it is also about understanding the legal framework that determines who earns what, for how long, and in which territories.
Twenty years in music: what Savoretti's career tells us about artist rights
Jack Savoretti, born in London to an Italian father and a Swiss mother, released his first album in 2006. Two decades later, his ninth album marks not just a creative milestone but a legal one: rights, royalties, and publishing deals signed at the start of a career look very different twenty years on, particularly as streaming has transformed how musicians earn income.
According to the UK Intellectual Property Office, the copyright in a sound recording in the UK lasts 70 years from the date of publication. This means that recordings from Savoretti's early albums will remain commercially protected until at least 2076. The question for many artists is: who actually owns those rights?
Three types of rights every musician should understand
When a song is recorded and released, there are multiple layers of intellectual property at play:
Songwriting copyright — if you wrote the lyrics and the melody, you own the underlying composition. This right typically lasts for 70 years after the death of the last surviving author. Collecting societies such as PRS for Music in the UK collect royalties on behalf of songwriters each time a track is performed, broadcast, or streamed.
Master recording rights — the rights to the specific recorded version of a song are often held by the record label rather than the artist, particularly under older recording contracts. This is why "owning your masters" has become a widely discussed topic after high-profile cases involving artists such as Taylor Swift. If you signed a traditional record deal, your label may control your back catalogue, including how it is licensed for films, advertisements, and streaming services.
Publishing rights — separate from both the above, publishing rights relate to the broader commercial use of the composition. A music publisher administers these rights on behalf of the songwriter and takes a percentage of the income generated. Many artists sign publishing deals early in their careers without fully understanding the long-term implications.
How streaming has changed the royalty calculation
The rise of platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube has fundamentally altered how music royalties are calculated and distributed. Traditional album sales generated a relatively straightforward revenue model: a fixed payment per copy sold. Streaming is far more complex.
Under the most common streaming royalty models, artists receive a fraction of a penny per stream, with the exact amount depending on the platform, the artist's contract with their distributor or label, and the territory in which the stream occurs. For an independent artist, the rate on Spotify currently averages between £0.002 and £0.005 per stream. A track needs approximately 200,000 to 500,000 streams to generate £1,000 in gross royalties — before the platform, distributor, and label all take their shares.
For artists signed to major or independent labels, the percentage reaching the artist typically ranges from 15% to 25% of net receipts, depending on the terms negotiated at the time of signing. Many artists who signed their first deals before streaming existed are now operating under contracts that were never designed to account for digital distribution at scale.
When should a musician consult a lawyer?
Whether you are a professional musician, a session player, or someone managing a band, there are several situations where legal advice is not optional — it is essential:
Before signing any record deal or publishing agreement — the terms of these contracts will define your income and creative freedom for decades. A music lawyer can identify clauses relating to recoupment (where the label recoups its advance from your royalties before you receive anything), creative control, and territorial restrictions that many artists only discover after it is too late.
When your work is used without permission — if your recordings or compositions are used in a film, advertisement, or social media campaign without a licence or your consent, you may have grounds for an infringement claim under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
When you want to reclaim your masters — UK and EU law provides limited termination rights that may allow artists to reclaim certain rights after a specified period, depending on the jurisdiction and the type of contract involved.
When a collaboration goes wrong — co-written songs and jointly recorded tracks create joint ownership situations that can become legally complex if relationships between collaborators deteriorate. A written agreement at the outset, reviewed by a music lawyer, prevents costly disputes later.
When setting up a band or management structure — a partnership or limited company structure for a band, with clearly defined ownership shares and decision-making rights, provides legal protection for all members if circumstances change.
Savoretti's career as a template
Jack Savoretti's decision to release an album celebrating twenty years of music on his own creative terms reflects the kind of long-term career control that many artists aim for but few achieve without careful legal and business management. His transition from early major-label releases to a more independent approach is consistent with a broader trend in which established artists seek greater ownership of their work.
For any musician at any stage of their career, the lesson is straightforward: creative success and legal protection are not separate concerns. The earlier you understand your rights and the contracts that govern them, the better positioned you are to build a sustainable career. A specialist music solicitor can provide a contract review, advise on collecting society registrations, and help you understand what you have signed — before the consequences become clear.
