Who Owns The Copyright To 'Tomorrow Will Be Better' Track?

I still get a little thrilled whenever 'I Am the Best' blasts through my headphones — that opening synth is iconic. If you want the short, practical version: the song has two different kinds of copyright owners. The composition (the melody and lyrics) is credited to the songwriters — primarily Teddy Park for 'I Am the Best' — and the music publisher(s) who represent those songwriters. The recorded performance, the actual audio file or master, is usually owned by the record label, which in this case is YG Entertainment, the company that released 2NE1's music. If you’re digging deeper — say, for licensing, sampling, or using the song in a video — you’ll need to clear both sides: a sync license and/or mechanical license from the publisher(s) for the composition, and a master use license from YG (or whoever currently holds the master rights) for the recording. Copyright registration and ownership can shift over time due to contracts, transfers, or different regional deals, so the authoritative sources are the liner notes, the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) database, or publisher registries. If it’s for commercial use, contacting YG’s licensing department and checking KOMCA are the safest moves. Personally, I love thinking about these behind-the-scenes bits — it turns a banger like 'I Am the Best' into a tiny case study about how music business and creativity intersect. If you want, I can walk you through how to look up credits on KOMCA or find who to contact for a sync quote.

Hearing that tune still lights me up — 'tomorrow will be better' (Chinese: '明天會更好') is credited to the iconic Taiwanese songwriter Lo Ta-yu (羅大佑). He penned the piece in the mid-1980s as part of a charitable effort, and it quickly became an anthem of optimism across Mandarin-speaking communities. The song was recorded as a collaborative single featuring a huge roster of singers from Taiwan, Hong Kong and beyond; think of it like a regional equivalent of those big charity supergroup tracks. Lo Ta-yu’s lyrical touch — simple lines that carry both melancholy and hope — combined with an instantly hummable melody, is what gives the song its staying power. Over the years it’s been covered, translated, and used in school performances, fundraisers, and TV specials. For me it’s that rare pop song that doesn’t overstay its welcome but still manages to make you look up and breathe a little easier.

As a longtime enthusiast of literary history and digital publishing, I've dug deep into the story behind Project Gutenberg. Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, lived in the 15th century, so his original works are long out of copyright—they’ve been public domain for centuries. The modern Project Gutenberg, however, is a digital library founded by Michael Hart in 1971. It focuses on digitizing and distributing public domain texts. The organization itself doesn’t 'own' copyrights in the traditional sense; it curates works that are no longer under copyright protection or have been released freely by authors. Interestingly, Project Gutenberg operates under U.S. copyright law, meaning works are added only after their copyright expires (usually 70+ years after the author’s death). Volunteers run the project, and their ethos is about accessibility, not ownership. Some derivative works or specific editions might have their own copyrights, but the core content is free for anyone to use. It’s a fascinating example of how old ideas (like Gutenberg’s press) merge with modern tech to keep literature alive.

Hunting for a legal stream of 'tomorrow will be better' can feel like a little treasure hunt, but there’s a straightforward way I go about it that usually pays off. First, I check the big, global services — Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV/iTunes, Google Play Movies, and YouTube Movies — because many films and shows land there for purchase or rental even if they’re not included with a subscription. If nothing shows up, I switch to region- and genre-specific platforms: for East Asian releases I’ll try Bilibili, iQIYI, Tencent Video, and Rakuten Viki, and for indie or festival titles I look at MUBI, Kanopy (if I have a library card), and the Criterion Channel. When I can’t find a direct stream, I look at the official social media or website for 'tomorrow will be better' — distributors often post links to legal viewing options. I also use aggregators like JustWatch or Reelgood to confirm current availability in my country. Personally, I prefer buying or renting the piece on a trustworthy platform rather than relying on doubtful uploads; it’s better for the creators and avoids sketchy sources. Hope that helps you find a good, legal way to watch it — I always feel better supporting the real deal.

Hopping right in: the short version is that whoever wrote the lyrics for 'Count on Me' (the songwriter or their publisher) usually owns the copyright to the words, unless the song is public domain or the lyrics were created as a work-for-hire. There are multiple songs called 'Count on Me' (Bruno Mars, Jefferson Starship-era, older folk songs, etc.), so the first practical step is to identify which one you mean — artist, year, or album helps a lot. If you want to be thorough, check the performance-rights organization databases: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC in the U.S., PRS in the UK, SOCAN in Canada, etc. Plug in the song title and artist and you’ll usually see the songwriters and their publishers listed. That tells you who controls the publishing rights (which include the lyrics). For modern songs the publisher often handles licensing for printing or displaying lyrics, and they may have an admin deal with a bigger company. Don’t forget the other rights: the master recording (the recorded track) is usually owned by the label, while the composition (lyrics + melody) is owned by the songwriter(s)/publisher. If you need permission to publish lyrics on a website, you’d contact the publisher or use a licensed lyrics provider like LyricFind. For covers you’ll need mechanical rights (different license), and for syncing lyrics with video you’ll need publisher permission plus label permission for the master. If the song is old enough to be public domain in your country, you’re free — but that’s rare for anything post-1950s. If you tell me which 'Count on Me' you mean, I can point to the exact songwriter/publisher records I find, which is usually the quickest path to the current copyright owner.

I get totally curious about credits whenever a song sticks with me, so when I see a title like 'Alone With You in the Ether' my brain immediately goes into detective mode. First thing I’d tell you is that there are two separate copyrights to consider: the composition (the songwriting—lyrics and melody) and the sound recording (the particular recorded performance). Those can be owned by different people or entities: the writer(s) and their publisher for the composition, and usually a record label or the recording artist for the master. If you want to find the concrete owner, start with the simplest places: streaming services, Bandcamp, Bandlab, or the vinyl/CD liner notes often list songwriters and publishers. Then check PRO databases (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, PRS) for the song title and songwriters, and look at the record label listed on the release for master ownership. The US Copyright Office’s public catalog is another good stop—search the title there for registrations. For recent indie releases, the artist might own both composition and master; for label releases the label often owns the master. I don’t have a single name to give you without checking those sources, but if you want I can walk you through each lookup step or a sample message to send to a publisher or label—I've done this a few times to clear covers and it’s surprisingly satisfying when it all comes together.

I still get a little giddy thinking about that catchy opening from 'Tangled' — the song is 'When Will My Life Begin?'. If you’re wondering who owns the copyright to the lyrics, the short, practical version I turn to is: Glenn Slater wrote the lyrics, but the copyright is held by Disney (through its music publishing arm). In my evening-of-rambling-about-movies mood I went hunting through credits and industry listings before, and Disney songs from that era are almost always published and controlled by a Walt Disney publishing entity, so they’re the ones who grant permissions. If you want to print the lyrics, post them in full, adapt them, or use them in a video, you’ll need permission from the publisher (typically Walt Disney Music Company or Disney Music Publishing/Disney Music Group). For live performances, venues and broadcasters usually clear performance rights via PROs like ASCAP—Disney’s songwriting and publishing catalog is registered there. For covers on streaming services, you’d use mechanical licenses, but sync uses (putting the song to images) require a separate sync license from the publisher. I learned this the hard way once when I tried to put a Disney song in a fan video; even short clips can trigger takedowns without the right licenses. If you’re planning any kind of reuse, look up the song in ASCAP’s database or contact Disney Music Publishing directly. They’ll tell you what’s allowed and what costs are involved. And if you’re just humming it at home—go ahead, sing loud; that part is free.

I’ve always been curious about its copyright status. From what I’ve gathered, the copyright for 'The Outsiders' is currently held by the estate of S.E. Hinton, the author who wrote the novel when she was just a teenager. The book was originally published in 1967, and under U.S. copyright law, works from that era typically have a copyright lifespan of the author’s life plus 70 years. Since S.E. Hinton is still alive, the rights remain with her or her designated representatives. This means any official PDF versions or reproductions would require permission from the copyright holder. Unofficial PDFs floating around online are likely infringing unless they fall under fair use, which is rare for entire books.

I can tell you that the copyright for 'The Tempest' by Shakespeare is a bit complicated. Since Shakespeare died in 1616, his works are long out of copyright and are in the public domain. This means anyone can publish, distribute, or create a PDF of 'The Tempest' without worrying about copyright infringement. However, if the PDF includes modern annotations, translations, or unique formatting, those specific elements might be copyrighted by the editor or publisher. Always check the fine print to see if additional content is protected. For the original text, though, you're free to use it as you please.

I got curious about this exact question last week when a friend sent me a clip of 'Today Is a Good Day' and asked if I could get it for my phone. The short version is: yes, you can legally download songs, but how you do it depends on who owns the track and what platform they used to release it. If the track is on stores like iTunes/Apple Music, Amazon Music, or Bandcamp, buying it there gives you a legal copy (Bandcamp is great because many indie artists offer DRM-free downloads and direct support). If it’s released under a Creative Commons license or available on the artist’s site as a free download, that’s legal too — just check the license terms. Streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube Music let you download for offline listening with a subscription, but that’s not the same as owning an MP3 file. If you can’t find it anywhere official, don’t grab it from a sketchy torrent site; instead, try contacting the artist or label, or keep an eye on official channels. Supporting artists by paying or buying directly feels good and keeps the music coming.