Copyrighting Music
People have different views when it comes to copyrighted material. Some believe that it’s good, others don’t really support it, and there are some who fall somewhere between the two. The general consensus of the latter group is that it’s good to protect your work, however, it can stifle creativity and can encourage bullying of sorts from corporations with deep pockets. Regardless of your view on the subject, it does not hurt to know the steps involved.
So, you’ve created a wonderful song and want to copyright it. What are the steps you need to take to legally protect your work? First and foremost, you’ll want your work to be original. There are things that are not protected by copyright, such as song titles and chord progressions. The next thing you’ll need to provide for copyrighting your music is your song in some sort of tangible medium. Sheet music or a digital recording.
Copyright protection is essentially a collection of rights. These rights grant you the power to distribute and sell your music in a multitude of mediums, the right to create work derived from the original piece, and the right to perform and display your music in a public setting, among other things.
To actually register your music there are a few steps you’ll need to complete. First, you’ll need to complete and submit a form to the copyright office. Along with the form you’ll also need to submit a filing fee (the amount depends on the type of application you submit) as well as a copy (or copies) of your music.
It’s a good idea to copyright your music to avoid copyright infringement and legal issues. There can be fines associated with copyright issues, that you’ll want to avoid. Aside from that the rights and protections are, of course, useful and will prevent you from incurring fines. There exist sites and resources to gather more information about copyright procedures. Some sites can also help you with the copyright process if you need it.