If an over-the-air broadcast station plays Adele's "Take It All," the station must pay royalties for the composition but not for Adele's recording.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is because the station is using the composition (the underlying musical work), which is owned by the songwriters/publishers, but not the recording (the specific version of the song performed by Adele), which is owned by the record label/artist. In order to use a recording, separate licenses would need to be obtained.

If an Over-The-Air Broadcast Station Plays Adele's "Take It All