Should I copyright?

  • Thread starter Thread starter NEB
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NEB

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Does anyone know, is it a good idea to get my songs copyrighted before passing them around as demos etc.
 
If you have any interest in ever receiving compensation or credit for your songwriting, it is critical to have your copyright to them registered. While there has been past discussion on the board of "poor man's" copyrights, and other shemes to avoiding the $30.00 registration fee, nothing substitutes for the registration. Aside from protecting your ownership interest in the song(s), registration reduces the attendant costs of any possible litigation.
 
Thanks. I have the form SR (right?). I am wondering, since I can never get anyone on the phone over there, can I use one form for the entire album and send them a disc, or do I need to pay $30 for each song and notate every thing out? I really appreciate it. Nasusben
 
you can register a collection but I believe the more you spend, (as in registering all songs individually) the more solidified your position would be in court.

stone
 
Yeah, SR for recordings and TX for lyrics. The link hixmix posted explains it much better than I can. And stonepiano is absolutely right about copyrighting songs individually for providing the "best evidence" of copyright ownership. Copyrighting collections of songs is the the most basic copyright protection. Since much of my work is as a lyricist, I also copyright collections of lyrics using Form TX every time I get a bunch put together, usually every 3-4 months, but definitely before sending them out to composers or publishers.
 
After you send it to them, Neb, be patient. It takes for ever. But you'll get it.

Good luck.
 
Put everything you have on one CD. Give the collection a title, but under the title, list individual song titles. Includes lyric sheets for all songs.That will only cost you $30. If there is any interest in one or two of the songs, you can always get single song copyrights on them prior to publishing. Put the money you saved into a great demo. That's the important thing. After you sign a publishing deal, you will probably lose ALL the publishing income anyway. The copyright only secures your writer's share of royalties.
Good luck!
 
Thanks again. I write instrumental open-tuned fingerstyle guitar. I have ten songs that I intend to move with. But I am going to home record and self-publish. I did that with a book a few years ago. It was pretty easy. The hardest part for me with a book was promotion. And though Ive been making great strides with home recording, I know nothing about producing. I will definately be keeping an eye on this forum for ideas. Any and all are welcome. Keep em comming. NEB
 
In that case you will need to publish the CD and then obtain a publisher's copyright on the songs and recording as well. You will need to affiliate with a performance rights society (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC), or you can arrange for the Harry Fox Agency to administer the copyrights.
As for producing, this site is a wealth of info, and there are some serious cats here to learn from. Wish you luck with the CD!
 
http://www.copyright.gov/

I reside in Canada, does anyone know if I can register my songs here? I've been to the site and can't find anything on submissions from outside the USA.

Anyone know?
 
I would guess it does not matter what your nationality is for registering in the US. I looked at the form and it asks for author's nationality or domicile, and you simply write it in. I would call the number and request a form and see what happens. I cannot speak with expertise on the subject, but that is my hunch. I sent mine in today. I feel better already. NEB
 
I'm fairly certain that there is a copyright treaty that Canada and the United States are signatories to which makes their copyright recognition reciprocable. What I'm not sure about is collecting any royalties which might acrue. I know BMI and ASCAP represent Canadian writers, but I'm not sure if there is another PRO in Canada involved. I'm sure if you contact either of those organizations they can tell you. I know there is a European PRO that a lot of Brits are members of, but I don't know any of the details about it.
 
How exactly does one benefit from registering with ASCAP. I was looking at there website and it was not exactly clear to me what they actually do, beyond what I could not do myself. I tryed to get some answers on the phone but they thought I was nuts and sent me over to a voicemail. I guess they are used to working with large publishers/producers. It seems like everybody has their hand out these days so I would like someone to shed the light on this for me.
 
Basically, PROs like ASCAP, BMI, et.al. issue licenses to perform your songs and track their performances so that you can get paid. They represent publishers and writers and issue licenses for bars clubs, restaurants, television shows, etc. to use your songs and for you to be paid for their use. The Harry Fox Assn. does the actual collection of money. If you are a published writer or self-published membership is free and they take a small percentage of your royalties as dues. You must have songs actually published and getting play of some kind to be considered for membership, though I think most PROs have some kind of associate category where you can learn the ropes. Usually when a novice writer contacts PROs, they are sent a basic information kit that explains how they work in detail.

To a limited degree you can perform some of the functions of a PRO yourself, but if you are successful to any degree, you're going to have your hands full. I do some licensing of unpublished songs to young artists trying to put together original material for demos or live performance. It's basically a barter system where they get a limited license to perform some of my songs and I get a good demo tape of my songs by decent musicians. That way I have a good quality demo to pitch and they have some songs that aren't covers.

I strongly recommend that you check out Randy Poe's book titled
"Guide to Music Publishing" for detailed information on the whole process.
 
Man that is really cool. I never even thought about getting a book on it. Dummy me. Excellent advice and thank you.
NEB -Traverse City MI
 
"I reside in Canada, does anyone know if I can register my songs here? I've been to the site and can't find anything on submissions from outside the USA."

Check this link out...I dont know much about it, but I recall a friend telling me about it when they got signed to MCA Canada.

http://www.socan.ca/
 
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