Your own publishing company?...

[Robertt8]

Ok, we've got our little CD coming out soon, and need to mark things properly. we obviously have no publishing company and plan on retaining the publishing rights anyway. Do we need to formally start a publishing company? Do we just ignore it for now?

We're hoping to at least try and get some of our stuff on some radio stations here and there (probably wishfull thinking), but does that make a difference?

Does anyone know how we handle this?

Thanks!
Tait

[I ate my bass]

hay tait,
i did the same thing in the last original band i was in.we played on mojomusic's "the studio" radio show, a bunch of local stations on the local music shows, and we sold our discs at shows, newbury comics, bull moose music, and a couple head shops....we never dealt w any publishers or had the need to.......thats sort of irrelevant until your music is the subject of something like a deal of some sort, licensing in some situations,and ownership rights and whatnot.....my opinion is dont worry about til the time comes....mail yourself a cd and dont open it....thats supposedly some sort of half-assed copywright or so Ive been told.....hope I helped, and anyone feel free to correct me i dont know everything.

[gullyjewelz]

i do the mail "mail-to-self" thing b/c i heard the same . . . in fact i heard it as a rumor and went straight to this college professor who teaches music and asked him -- he said to his knowledge it is a legitimate practice , but he cautioned me that it is not the most effective practice. he told me to do it, but to also find the money to do the official
so thats what i do now

[Fieva]

I do the mail to self as well while I'm waiting on my official copyrights.

[grn]

mail to self = won't really hold up in court... officially

it costs $30 to register as many songs as you want... it's wicked easy

[I ate my bass]

Originally Posted by grn

mail to self = won't really hold up in court... officially

it costs $30 to register as many songs as you want... it's wicked easy

nice....there ya have it.....good to know grn.

[Bartman]

Actually the poor man's copyright will hold up in court.....in the United States. It probably wouldn't hold up internationally.

In fact, when you document an original composition on a permanent medium (ie: CD) it is a defacto copyright.

Do a Google search under "original music copyright options/alternatives" and you'll find a bunch of stuff on the subject.

All of the above stated.....spend $30 and file the SR form with the Library of Congress to avoid future grief.

This link should be helpful, especially the section on "Copyright is Automatic".

http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ50.html#automatic

Bart

[Robertt8]

Hey guys, thanks for the advice.

I'm not really worried about copy writing the stuff...i mean i am, but that was not my question. what i want to know is: does anyone know anything about a simple way to just kind of hang on to your own publishing rights...i know they're mine anyway, but if it would be beneficial to start a little "publishing company" just in case i ever wanted to, or was presented with the opportunity to need one down the line. if it was cheap and simple, i might look into it.

As far as the "poor mans publishing", i've heard this will more or less work (in usa...but aren't copyrights usable/protected only in the us?) to prove that you recorded that exact song. What i mean is (and feel free to read "Confessions of a Record Producer" where they talk about this and offer many examples). The way the system is set up, there's nothing that says two people on different parts of the globe could not write a remarkably similar song (lyrics and all)...almost identical, at roughly the same time. Apparently, it's expensive as hell to fight, and you will almost always loose. His only advice around this?...make your song famous before someone else does.

[grn]

tell that to the guy who lost his court case to britney spears using one of his songs because he mailed it to himself... if a big artist or label comes after you, mailing a song to yourself will not hold up in court... this guy lost potential millions

[Bartman]

Originally Posted by grn

tell that to the guy who lost his court case to britney spears using one of his songs because he mailed it to himself... if a big artist or label comes after you, mailing a song to yourself will not hold up in court... this guy lost potential millions

Wow, good point grn. I found a link to that story:

http://yahoo.usatoday.com/life/peopl...it_x.htm?csp=1

Sounds like Spears even admitted in writing that the guy wrote the song. Sounds like it's less of the "poor man's" copyright not holding up and more of a "Big Company with huge financial and legal resources" stopping on the downtrodden.

I wonder if there was a behind the scenes financial settlement?

Bart

[grn]

all I'm saying is... don't bet on it holding up in court, you'll most likely lose