Every song is two copyrights, and almost every dispute in the music business comes from someone not knowing that. This article separates the composition from the sound recording, traces the money each one generates, and explains who collects it. It walks through mechanical, performance, synchronization, and digital royalties, and why a hit song can pay a songwriter and a label very differently. It covers ownership traps: work made for hire, undocumented collaborations, and the termination right that lets creators claw back transfers decades later. It closes with the five documents that prevent most music litigation.