803.9 (D) (1) Instrument Names / Vocals
Giving an instrument name (e.g., guitar, trumpet, or keyboard) as a description of authorship is unclear because the instrument could refer either to the music, the performance, or both. To refer to the performance contribution, the applicant should use clear terms, such as “performance” after the instrument name, such as “guitar performance.” To refer to the musical contribution, the applicant should use clear terms, such as music, melody, or arrangement after the instrument named (e.g., “music for cello,” “bassoon melody,” or “sitar arrangement”). To refer to both the musical and performance contributions, the applicant should use both terms, such as “guitar music and performance.”
Similarly, the term “vocals” is ambiguous because it could refer to either lyrics, performance, or both. To refer to the vocal performance, the applicant should describe the author’s contribution as “vocal performance.” To refer to the lyrics, the applicant should describe the author’s contribution as “lyrics.” To refer to both lyrics and performance, the applicant should describe the author’s contribution as “lyrics and performance.”
When completing the online application, these terms may be provided in the field marked Other; when completing a paper application these terms may be provided on space 2 of Form SR.