The oldest confirmed musical instruments on Earth date back
more than 40,000 years, and it is possible that prehistoric humans
produced sounds similar to singing before sophisticated speech
entered culture. In other words, music has been part of human
society for as long as there has been human society.
Like other works of original art, music — from pop songs
to symphonies — can be protected as Intellectual Property
(IP) through copyrights. But the process of creating music neither
begins nor ends with the artist's imagination, for without
instruments, recording devices, production equipment and various
playback systems, most of the music we enjoy today cannot be played
or heard at all.
