{"id":19636,"date":"2017-02-28T15:21:50","date_gmt":"2017-02-28T21:21:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/?p=19636"},"modified":"2022-11-25T14:15:36","modified_gmt":"2022-11-25T20:15:36","slug":"how-to-copyright-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/blog\/how-to-copyright-music\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Copyright Music"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"lead\">Copyrighting your original music can be a confusing task. Depending on who you talk to or where you look, you can end up swimming in so much information that you end up doing absolutely nothing. That\u2019s exactly what happened to me. For years I had no idea how to copyright music properly.<\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve been writing music since I was 14 and I\u2019ve been thinking about copyrighting my music for just as many years. But, I have to confess \u2014 I\u2019ve never done it. Every time I made up my mind to apply for a copyright, I\u2019d find myself reading through hours of material. When it came time to do it, I always found a reason not to follow through. Even though I knew I should copyright my songs, I always managed to talk myself out of it. And according to a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tunecore.com\/blog\/2011\/02\/soundcheck-results-copyrighting-your-music.html\">Tunecore poll from 2011<\/a>, it looks like I wasn\u2019t alone. 44% of musicians who answered the poll gave their reasons for not copyrighting.<\/p>\n<p>A few thoughts I\u2019ve had while talking myself out of copyrighting music include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What\u2019s the point?<\/li>\n<li>Do <em>my<\/em> songs really need it? I thought fighting over who wrote what song was only for the rich and famous.<\/li>\n<li>I heard I could I could mail a copy of my album to myself and that was just as good.<\/li>\n<li>How do I even do this? I don\u2019t want to fill out tons of confusing legal paperwork.<\/li>\n<li>It would probably cost my so much money to get all of my stuff copyrighted, I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s worth it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Fair warning, I\u2019m definitely not a lawyer (no one at AudioTheme is, or they would have written this article). I\u2019ve also never been involved in a legal matter concerning music. However, I thought it would be helpful to share my experiences with other musicians who may have similar thoughts. Hopefully this post will answer some questions. I\u2019ll be focusing strictly on copyrighting within the United States, since that\u2019s where I live. I\u2019d love to learn more about the process in other countries, but that is perhaps something best left for another post.<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s the point of copyrighting your music?<\/h2>\n<p>Did you know that technically, as soon as you create music in a tangible form, it is copyrighted? That means as soon as you write a song down on paper\/computer or record it, you own the copyright. Awesome! I can stop writing this post and we don\u2019t have to worry about doing anything else, right? Not quite.<\/p>\n<p>You never actually legally copyright your music. Instead, when you register a copyright with the United States Copyright Office, you\u2019re creating a record of the copyright you already own. Why is this important? Registering a copyright means you have legal documentation that you actually own the song you\u2019ve registered.<\/p>\n<p>This is one thing I found confusing in the past. I found it silly that I needed to create a record that proved my music was copyrighted, since I believed writing down lyrics was already a form of that. That&#8217;s when I learned about the perhaps the most important reason to register a copyright.<\/p>\n<h3><em>Prima Facie<\/em><\/h3>\n<p><em>Prima facie<\/em>\u00a0is Latin for \u201cat first look.\u201d In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/prima%20facie\">legal terms<\/a> it means \u201clegally sufficient to establish a fact or a case unless disproved.\u201d What does that mean? It means that if you are able to provide a registered copyright for a piece of work, it isn\u2019t enough for someone else to prove that they wrote it. They have to be able to disprove that you wrote it. While it may be easy for someone to \u201cpre-date\u201d your music with a falsified copy, it would be much harder to falsely prove that you did not in fact write the music. It\u2019s important to point out that <em>prima facie<\/em>\u00a0is only valid if the copyright is registered within five years after creation of the music.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s use an example here and say Tim and Steve are fighting over who owns a piece of music. In a court case where neither one has filed copyright registration, they would each try to prove who wrote the music. However, let\u2019s say Tim has a copyright registered with the Library of Congress. In this case, the burden would be on Steve to prove that Tim did not write the song before Steve can try to prove that he wrote it.<\/p>\n<h2>Do my songs really need registered copyrights?<\/h2>\n<p>This is totally up to you. On top of the <em>prima facie<\/em>\u00a0legal advantage a copyright registration gives you, you receive a few other exclusive rights. Only the author (owner) of a copyright has the right to make or distribute copies of the work. Remember the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Metallica_v._Napster,_Inc.\">Metallica v. Napster<\/a> case? Metallica\u2019s argument was that Napster was completely disregarding copyright law, and didn\u2019t have permission to copy and distribute the band\u2019s music. You also have the exclusive rights to perform the work publicly and prepare derivative works.<\/p>\n<p>As we\u2019ll discuss shortly, copyrighting is not nearly as difficult or expensive as I originally thought. My philosophy here is better safe than sorry.<\/p>\n<h2>I thought I could mail an unopened copy of my music to myself. Isn\u2019t that just as good?<\/h2>\n<p>Ah, the \u201cpoor man\u2019s copyright.\u201d You\u2019ve probably heard of it before. You mail a copy of your music to yourself and never open it. This supposedly creates a copy of your work with a federal date attached, which could be used to prove creation. I first heard about this in college and even then I was skeptical. While this may have been suitable proof of copyright ownership at one time, it is directly mentioned on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.copyright.gov\/help\/faq\/faq-general.html#what\">US Copyright Office website<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe practice of sending a copy of your own work to yourself is sometimes called a \u201cpoor man\u2019s copyright.\u201d There is no provision in the copyright law regarding any such type of protection, and it is not a substitute for registration.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>If you are concerned enough to mail a copy of your music to yourself, you should probably just register the copyright properly.<\/p>\n<h2>How to copyright music<\/h2>\n<p>Registering a copyright within the US is easier than I initially thought. Let\u2019s walk through the stages as I legally register the copyright to my record \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.annaditommaso.com\/music\/one-more-cup-of-coffee\/\">One More Cup of Coffee<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<ol>\n<li>You can register a new account with the the US copyright office by visiting <a href=\"https:\/\/eco.copyright.gov\/\">their website<\/a>. Input your legal name and other contact information to create an online account.<\/li>\n<li>After you register, you land on a page that will show a record of all your copyrights. It most likely displays zero records if you just registered.<\/li>\n<li>From the left navigation menu, click \u201c<strong>Register a New Claim<\/strong>\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19637\" src=\"https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/register-a-new-copyright.jpg\" alt=\"How to Copyright Music Register New Claim\" width=\"276\" height=\"286\" \/><\/p>\n<ol>\n<ol>\n<li>This brings up a screen with a few questions. First, it asks if you are registering one work (like one song). By clicking &#8220;<strong>no<\/strong>&#8220;, you\u2019re able to register a copyright for an entire record. You can actually register all of your songs as a collection under one copyright registration. This is what makes the process more affordable than I initially thought. The next questions relate to who created the material. Was it just you? Does it contain <strong>only<\/strong> content created or licensed by you? In my case, this is all original music, so I\u2019ll check yes on both of those boxes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19638\" src=\"https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/copryrighting-music.jpg\" alt=\"How to Copyright Music\" width=\"1032\" height=\"437\" srcset=\"https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/copryrighting-music.jpg 1032w, https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/copryrighting-music-840x356.jpg 840w, https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/copryrighting-music-300x127.jpg 300w, https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/copryrighting-music-768x325.jpg 768w, https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/copryrighting-music-1024x434.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1032px) 100vw, 1032px\" \/><\/p>\n<ol>\n<ol>\n<li>The next step is selecting type of work from the dropdown menu. Here is another step that may be confusing. Am I registering a sound recording or work of the performing arts? After reading through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.copyright.gov\/eco\/help-type.html\">site\u2019s help section describing both types<\/a>, it seems sound recording is the correct type of work. Sound recording allows us to register both the music itself, as well as the performance of it. That\u2019s it for this screen.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19639\" src=\"https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/copyrighting-music-type-of-work.jpg\" alt=\"How to copyright music, type of work\" width=\"881\" height=\"524\" srcset=\"https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/copyrighting-music-type-of-work.jpg 881w, https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/copyrighting-music-type-of-work-840x500.jpg 840w, https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/copyrighting-music-type-of-work-300x178.jpg 300w, https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/copyrighting-music-type-of-work-768x457.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 881px) 100vw, 881px\" \/><\/p>\n<ol>\n<ol>\n<li>Next, we click \u201cNew\u201d which forwards us to another screen asking for a title type and title. Since this is the first time I\u2019m registering this work, I\u2019ll select \u201cTitle of Work Being Registered\u201d. Next, I\u2019ll enter the name of the record, \u201cOne More Cup of Coffee\u201d and click save.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19640\" src=\"https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/register-music-copyright-title-of-work.jpg\" alt=\"How to Copyright Music, Title of Work\" width=\"610\" height=\"286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/register-music-copyright-title-of-work.jpg 610w, https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/register-music-copyright-title-of-work-300x141.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A money saving tip here. You can actually lump all of your songs together in one collection together. Say you had 50 songs, you could still register them all under one copyright titled \u201ccomplete works\u201d or something similar.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<ol>\n<li>After I enter the title, the next few screens ask some questions. Has the work been published? In my case yes. Year of completion, date of first publication, and nation of first publication are all fields in which I can enter information. I don\u2019t have an ISN or Preregistration number, so I won&#8217;t worry about those.<\/li>\n<li>Next, I\u2019ll add myself as the Author, and verify that I am in fact the author who created the sound recording. As a side note, there is a field for pseudonym here. Let\u2019s say you have a performing name, you want to include it in this box. If your situation is like mine and you have a long first name legally and go by a nickname, you don\u2019t need to use the pseudonym box.<\/li>\n<li>I\u2019m also the sole claimant, so will fill out the next sections the same way.<\/li>\n<li>The next screen covers Limitation of Claim. Since I\u2019ve created everything on the album and it\u2019s not been registered before, I\u2019ll leave this blank and continue.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19644\" src=\"https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/limitation-of-claim.jpg\" alt=\"How to copyright music, limitation of claim\" width=\"825\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/limitation-of-claim.jpg 825w, https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/limitation-of-claim-300x121.jpg 300w, https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/content\/uploads\/limitation-of-claim-768x311.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 825px) 100vw, 825px\" \/><\/p>\n<ol>\n<ol>\n<li>The rights and permissions information screen is next and is optional. It gives you a chance to provide contact information for the person who can be contacted for permission of use. I&#8217;ll enter my own information. You can add a manager or other point of contact here if you wish.<\/li>\n<li>The following screen is the correspondent screen. It is required in case the Copyright Office has follow up questions about the request. Again, I&#8217;ll use my own information here.<\/li>\n<li>Next, you\u2019ll be asked to include an address so the office can mail you your certificate.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re able to specify special handling on the next screen if you fulfil special requirements. Since I\u2019m not involved in a legal situation or under deadline, I\u2019ll skip this screen.<\/li>\n<li>The next screen is the certification, claiming that you\u2019ve added true information and are the exclusive owner of rights.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/ol>\n<p>That\u2019s the end of the paperwork! You can now add your registration to the shopping cart and pay for it.<\/p>\n<p>Total cost? $55.00.<\/p>\n<h2>Submitting your music<\/h2>\n<p>After you submit the paperwork and pay for your registration, you still need to submit your music. The easiest way to do this is to upload your mp3 files immediately after paying. However, you also have the option to mail a physical copy of the music in.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s all there is to it! No lawyers, no confusing paper work, no thousand dollar expenses. You\u2019ve registered your copyright to your album. In a few days you\u2019ll have registered proof of the fact that you created your music.<\/p>\n<p>I also want to point out that the website has great tooltips and help text on how to copyright music. You can actually call in and talk to a live person if you&#8217;re struggling with a certain stage of the process. I made a call just to verify this was true.<\/p>\n<h2>A few other points<\/h2>\n<p>There are some things that registering your copyright will not protect. These include short phrases, general ideas, or chord progressions. In other words, you can\u2019t sue someone who uses a few identical or similar words, or writes a song about a similar general idea. It must be obvious that they\u2019ve stolen your work purposefully. The copyright is also not indefinite. It will extend 70 years beyond your death, but eventually lapses.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s it. I almost definitely won\u2019t ever need to sue someone for stealing my music, or ever prove ownership. Those mp3s will probably sit in the copyright office forever without being listened to. But, I now have peace of mind knowing that I am protected if something should\u00a0happen, and that is well worth the time and money.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Copyrighting your original music can be a confusing task. Depending on who you talk to or where you look, you can end up swimming in so much information that you end up doing absolutely nothing. That\u2019s exactly what happened to me. For years I had no idea how to copyright music properly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":941,"featured_media":19647,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19636","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chatter","8":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Copyright Music &#8212; AudioTheme<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copyrighting your music can be a confusing task. 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