As an example, Bach has approx. 6 million listeners monthly on Spotify. Who gets those royalties? Are they profit for streaming services? Donated? Given to a trust?
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Copyright is the legal framework that prevents people from reproducing your work without your permission. Copyright is a property right and can be inherited, sold or given away. But, it doesn’t last forever. In America, copyright lasts for the life of the creator plus 70 years. After that point the work is in the public domain and you don’t need permission from the composer to perform that work.
However, when someone sits down and plays that piece and records it, they are granted a copyright on the specific recording. So, when the London Philharmonic plays Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, they don’t need his (or his descendants’) permission. But, you would need permission to make a copy of the recording.
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