Who owns the song, the singer or the composer?

Good morning everyone! 

I’ve been having a bit of a debate with a friend of mine, and I thought I’d bring it here to get some insights. We’re discussing who owns the rights to a song: the singer or the composer?

We’ve been discussing this for a while, and we can’t seem to agree. On one hand, I think that the singer should have some ownership over the song. After all, their interpretation and performance of the song can be just as important as the composition itself. On the other hand, my friend argues that the composer is the one who should have ownership, as they’re the ones who created the sounds and lyrics in the first place.

So, I wanted to ask for your thoughts. What do you think? Who do you believe should have ownership of a song – the singer or the composer? And is there any legal precedent for this?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions!