Legal Question in Technology Law in Virginia

Re: CD creation and distribution

If the music is copyrighted (and almost all music is), you may not distribute it without obtaining the consent of all the copyright holders. There will often be multiple copyright holders for individual tracks -- for example, one person may hold the copyright on the lyrics, another on the music and yet another on the particular performance.

There are associations which operate as clearinghouses for copyrights in the music industry, so instead of having to find each individual copyright holder on your own and negotiate separately with each you can probably deal with just one or two associations. Of course, one of the main things you will be negotiating about is the amount of royalties you will have to pay; there isn't much music available to distributors for free.

Keep in mind that many copyright holders will not grant you permission to reproduce their work at all, and others will only agree in exchange for substantial royalties. Recent releases by major artists likely will not be available to you at any price, but songs that are older and/or by lesser-known artists may be available for a reasonable amount of money.