A rumor circulated after Justin Bieber's appearance at Coachella: that he didn't sing his old hits because he had sold his music catalog. This is false. The sale of publishing or master rights does not prevent an artist from performing those songs live. It was a personal artistic choice. Clarifying this helps to understand how the industry works and prevents misinformation.
The Technical Distinction: Exploitation Rights vs. Public Performance Rights 🧐
From a technical point of view, it is key to differentiate the types of rights. When selling a catalog, an artist transfers exploitation rights (recordings, reproduction) to an entity. However, public performance rights for playing live are usually managed separately, through authors' societies. The artist or their representative pays a license to the venue, which covers the repertoire. Therefore, the setlist decision remains artistic.
And if you sell the car, can you no longer talk about it? 🤔
Following the rumor's logic, if you sell your first car, you would be forbidden from mentioning it in a conversation. Or if you sell the rights to your university thesis, you couldn't cite it on your resume. The idea that losing commercial control over a work prevents you from even naming it is, to say the least, curious. Perhaps some think that copyright is like a spell that breaks when you sign the check.