Should I Copyright My Music?
This is a no-brainer: You should secure your copyright and you should do it as soon as possible.
Songs are an asset.
In the music business the song itself may become your most valuable asset.
Unfortunately, misinformation and bad advice are thrown around like rice at a wedding when a songwriter, musician or band member asks: "Should I copyright my music?" Few people in the music business who actually make the music have a clear understanding of how, why, where and when to copyright a song.
Part of the problem is one of Definition.
Do you know WHAT a copyright is? Do you know when a copyright attaches to your work? A copyright is the "Right To Copy".
Seems simple, and it really is.
But if you don't know some basic rules you may find yourself VERY surprised at who has the right to copy your work.
Your right to copy your work may be exclusive.
Note the word "may".
Over time, the exclusivity of this right may begin to diminish.
As you'll discover, this is not necessarily bad.
But, it certainly is bad when interests in what you thought was YOUR WORK are spread out to different people because you did not know some rudimentary copyright rules.
It's maddening to see this happen.
The information you need is available for free and you don't need to become a lawyer to fully understand it.
In about 20 minutes you can uncover everything you will ever need to know to protect musical assets and effectively market your work and yourself.
That 20 minutes is beyond the scope of this article, but we're going to skip right to the most important copyright rule of them all: Your copyright is essentially worthless if you don't Register it.
The copyright exists almost immediately when you create your song.
And I mean immediately.
As long as the song is somewhere other than just in your head, you have a copyright.
If you hum something original into a tape recorder, scratch out the music on a dinner napkin, e-mail the lyrics, the song is copyrighted.
It just has to be fixed in some tangible form.
Chances are much of your music is recorded on something.
So, congratulations: You have your right to copy.
Unfortunately, if you fail to Register your copyright you probably will NOT be allowed to enforce your rights if someone steals your work or fails to pay you royalties due.
This is true under United States law, where I practice, and remains the law of many other countries.
So, let me suggest a more fundamental question than "Should I Copyright My Music?" Try asking this: "Where can I get a Copyright Registration?" I will show you below.
Once you properly REGISTER your copyright, you reap the benefits bestowed by the copyright rules: Right to enforce your claims in Court, presumption that you are indeed the writer, right to collect certain royalties, and other important advantages.
Songs are an asset.
In the music business the song itself may become your most valuable asset.
Unfortunately, misinformation and bad advice are thrown around like rice at a wedding when a songwriter, musician or band member asks: "Should I copyright my music?" Few people in the music business who actually make the music have a clear understanding of how, why, where and when to copyright a song.
Part of the problem is one of Definition.
Do you know WHAT a copyright is? Do you know when a copyright attaches to your work? A copyright is the "Right To Copy".
Seems simple, and it really is.
But if you don't know some basic rules you may find yourself VERY surprised at who has the right to copy your work.
Your right to copy your work may be exclusive.
Note the word "may".
Over time, the exclusivity of this right may begin to diminish.
As you'll discover, this is not necessarily bad.
But, it certainly is bad when interests in what you thought was YOUR WORK are spread out to different people because you did not know some rudimentary copyright rules.
It's maddening to see this happen.
The information you need is available for free and you don't need to become a lawyer to fully understand it.
In about 20 minutes you can uncover everything you will ever need to know to protect musical assets and effectively market your work and yourself.
That 20 minutes is beyond the scope of this article, but we're going to skip right to the most important copyright rule of them all: Your copyright is essentially worthless if you don't Register it.
The copyright exists almost immediately when you create your song.
And I mean immediately.
As long as the song is somewhere other than just in your head, you have a copyright.
If you hum something original into a tape recorder, scratch out the music on a dinner napkin, e-mail the lyrics, the song is copyrighted.
It just has to be fixed in some tangible form.
Chances are much of your music is recorded on something.
So, congratulations: You have your right to copy.
Unfortunately, if you fail to Register your copyright you probably will NOT be allowed to enforce your rights if someone steals your work or fails to pay you royalties due.
This is true under United States law, where I practice, and remains the law of many other countries.
So, let me suggest a more fundamental question than "Should I Copyright My Music?" Try asking this: "Where can I get a Copyright Registration?" I will show you below.
Once you properly REGISTER your copyright, you reap the benefits bestowed by the copyright rules: Right to enforce your claims in Court, presumption that you are indeed the writer, right to collect certain royalties, and other important advantages.
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