Glossary
The glossary contains definitions and explanations of key terms and phrases used that may not be easily understood. In line with the aim of Lost in Music to make the music industry easier to navigate, we hope that these will aid your understanding of the cases. If there are other terms you spot that we have used that are not in the glossary but need further explanation, please contact one of the team.
substantial part
The words that cause difficulty for courts in assessing whether an infringement has occurred are "substantial part". The 1988 UK Copyright Act states that copyright is infringed when a restricted act (such as copying) is done to the work as a whole or a substantial part of it. Defining and measuring "substantial" in the context of a piece of music is usually considered in terms of quality and quantity.
synchronisation licence
A licence from the copyright owner of a musical composition that gives permission to synchronise the musical work with picture, usually for film, TV, digital platforms or advertising. Without a licence, the act of synchronisation is an infringement of copyright. Separately a "master use" licence is required from the owner of the corresponding sound recording. This is often the record label.
syncopate
A much-used device in music where the strong rhythmic emphasis is shifted away from the main beats of the bar (usually the first and third) to anticipate them, usually by half a beat. The chorus of Don't Stand So Close To Me by The Police starts on a heavily syncopated chord.
syncopated
A much-used device in music where the strong rhythmic emphasis is shifted away from the main beats of the bar (usually the first and third) to anticipate them, usually by half a beat. The chorus of Don't Stand So Close To Me by The Police starts on a heavily syncopated chord.
syncopation
A much-used device in music where the strong rhythmic emphasis is shifted away from the main beats of the bar (usually the first and third) to anticipate them, usually by half a beat. The chorus of Don't Stand So Close To Me by The Police starts on a heavily syncopated chord.
tone
A tone is an interval between two notes in music, made up of two semitones. On a piano, a tone higher than middle C is D natural, the next white note to the right. There are six whole tones in an octave, or the distance between middle C and the next C. The piano introduction to Stevie Wonder's You Are The Sunshine Of My Life contains an example of a whole-tone scale. Confusingly the word can also refer to the quality of a musical performance, in terms of its tuning and the way that the instrument is played.
transcribe
To put into written form something that is spoken or heard, such as music. The noun referring to something that has been transcribed is a 'transcription'.
transcription
A graphical representation of a piece of music using music notation or guitar tablature. Transcriptions enable comparison of two pieces of music by the eye, to complement aural comparison by the ear.
transpose
To move a piece of music from one key into another.
transposition
Moving a piece of music from one key into another is called "transposition". In the context of copyright infringement, in cases where the two pieces of music in question are written in different keys, it is helpful to transpose one so that they are both in the same key. This aids visual comparison of melodies and chord structures.