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How To Copyright Your Music

posted: Sat. Aug 18th, 2007 @ 01:03 PM

Many musicians confuse copyrighting music with registering music; these are two different things. According to the law in the United States, once you have written or recorded your music in a permanent form, it is automatically copyrighted.

Most musicians think every song written needs to be immediately copywritten, but this isn't always true! Copyrighting registers your music so that if a situation arises that someone is stealing your music, your registration of copyright is on file, which protects you.

Follow these steps to register your recording of music, drama, or a lecture:

Sound Recordings

Follow these steps to register your music recordings.

1. Make sure your work is a sound recording. Sound recordings are “works that result from the fixation of a series of musical, spoken, or other sounds, but not including the sounds accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work.” Common examples include recordings of music, drama, or lectures.

2. Copyright registration for a sound recording alone is neither the same as, nor a substitute for, registration for the musical, dramatic, or literary work recorded. The underlying work may be registered in its own right apart from any recording of the performance, or in certain cases, the underlying work may be registered together with the sound recording.

Step 2. Put into one envelope or package:

* a completed application Form SR and Form CON if needed.

* a $45 payment to "Register of Copyrights."

* nonreturnable copy(ies) of the material to be registered (read details)

Step 3. Send the package to:

Library of Congress

Copyright Office

101 Independence Avenue, S.E.

Washington, D.C. 20559-6000

Your registration becomes effective on the day that the Copyright Office receives your application, payment, and copy(ies) in acceptable form. If your submission is in order, you will receive a certificate of registration in approximately 4 months.

[url=http://www.copyright.gov/register/]US Government Copyright Office[/url]

If all that is to much for you. There is always what is called to poor man copyright. This method involves mailing your self the record and never opening the package. The US mail stamp is now your proof when the song was made... This does NOT hold up in court, but it tells the rest of the world how it really went down.

If your looking for more answers visit

[url=http://www.cisum.net]Cisum.net[/url]

-Tim