Should i copyright my music

Fortunately, there is a way to save money on fees. However, the songs must be all written by the same writer or writing team.

For more information on registering your copyrights, and on how you can obtain PA and other forms, you can call the Copyright Public Information Office at The application forms and pamphlets are free. Copyright Office. Frequently Asked Questions About Copyright. I hope one day when I reach there, this knowledge will be of use for I knew nothing about rights of music.

Thanks a lot. It is informative.. Hello, Cole Mize. I have question but profiting off your mixtape. I have a project I am working on. Right now my project consists of songs I have written but with free beats. But I am confident that three of my songs will be a hit, if I get them on the radio. My project will be non-profit, but in order to get the songs on the radio I must buy certain rights. What do you think I should do? Yeah just to makes things more simple you may want to keep the tracks you want to use commercially off the mixtape and use them to promote your mixtape.

Also something to keep in mind is many people these days are buying songs in singles instead of projects since we have iTunes etc..

I hope this helps! Wishing you the best on your project! I used to think its not too important, that was until I started getting heisted. This piece is motivating me to just go ahead and get legal help. I think your beats are good foundations but could be improved with better mixing, arrangement and sound selection.

My best advice would be to reference to other professionally produced and mixed instrumentals and compare their quality to yours.

Wishing you the best on your musical journey! Man… i may sound too much — but i think you are one of many who are changing the world… with this stuff… so helpfull and so unselfish. Thanks bro. Just one question if you know something about it… im from Europe and i should seek to register Copyrights in EU. Thanks so much Alexander that truly means a lot bro! I do believe that the copyright is in affect everywhere in the world and you can use different P. Or in otherwords, am I able to register the beats separately from the same beats with lyrics?

If that makes sense? Good question. When you get a chance read this thread from Gearslutz as I think it will help you out greatly with your questions regarding copyrights. Chord progressions are not copyrighted, so you can get away with making a sound alike, if there are no words, but it is YOUR original recording.

Again music only. Hey Cole! Excellent Post!! I have been doing some research into copyrighting my first set of songs and I think it would be wise to update this article, bro. As of April of this year you can no longer copyright multiple works on the copyright. You can do up to 10 but there are some stipulations, such as they all must have the same author, and they must all be released together, such as in an album. Not exactly sure of all of the details, but yeah.

Just trying to help, man!! You are killing it! What can I do? Sue and prove you had your data first. Why and how did your management send it to an unknown person in the first place? Have evidence of this transaction. Great articles! I was wondering how I find my old copy written music in the library of congress?

And if I have the stamped pieces of music papers do they keep one in file too? Copyright protection is present at the creation. To protect a copyright, the owner should register. A copyright establishes various rights for the owner.

Protection for is for more than a lifetime. For copyright purposes, a sound recording is separate from a composition. Published and unpublished musical works may be copyrighted.

Special rules apply to those who want to perform cover versions of copyrighted songs. About the Author Michelle Kaminsky, Esq. Related Topics. Facebook Twitter. This portion of the site is for informational purposes only. The content is not legal advice. The statements and opinions are the expression of the author, not LegalZoom, and have not been evaluated by LegalZoom for accuracy, completeness, or changes in the law.

You may also like. Copyrights How to Copyright a Song The key to knowing how to copyright a song is to know what copyright protects. Copyrights 5 Things You Can't Copyright In order to qualify for copyright protection, an original creative work must exist in tangible form—in other words, written down or in a form you can touch. Copyrights How to Avoid Copyright Infringement Here's how to avoid accidentally stepping on the rights of another's creative work.

Copyrights How to Copyright Music You own your music the minute you record it or write it down, but you need to copyright the song to best protect it. Copyrights How to Copyright a Sound Recording Registering a copyright for a sound recording isn't complicated, but there are several things you should know before you proceed.