Interesting case. It seems like a matter of contract. If the Ghetto Recorders guy signed a contract stating he gets points, then the Stripes would have to honor that agreement.
But if the question is, should a producer or engineer get royalties as a matter of intellectual property, I would think not. There is probably some legal threshold beyond which you materially contribute to the writing of the song, in which case some claim could be made to owning part of the copyright. Probably if you suggested a bunch of changes to the lyrics or a different bridge or a different chorus--and the artist accepted those changes.
But I doubt just placing the mics in the right position or getting a good level on the vocals or suggesting a different amp would give anyone a claim to own part of the song. I'm not a copyright lawyer and this is just my opinion, of course.
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