While this method may sound outdated (and arguably it is), in the UK this is still the recommended method by which to secure copyright, as outlined by the PRS for Music. ![]() The online platforms will show the date and time of the upload, and similarly your email will be dated with when the attached audio was sent.Īnother way is to deposit a written or recorded copy of the song to a responsible person – such as an attorney or music lawyer - and obtain a dated receipt for the deposit.īut probably the most historically well-known method – what’s known as ‘ poor man’s copyright’ (ouch) – is posting yourself a copy of the recording/manuscript by special delivery and storing it, sealed, in a secure place until a time when it’s needed for proof. One way is to simply upload a digital recording of your music or sheet music to an online platform like YouTube, SoundCloud or Facebook, or send the files to yourself in an email. There’s a few different ways you can go about getting this proof… While it’s true that some copyright protection exists from this point on (so arguably you could stop here if you wanted to) there’s a few extra steps you can take to make the ownership of your music that bit more concrete. Mmm, perhaps a bit too easy if you ask me. Well, as we mentioned before, in some legal and technical cases, as soon as you’ve physically written it down, your song is already copyrighted. Whatever method you choose is up to you – so long as it’s possible to reproduce the song that you’ve ‘fixed’ into existence through some sort of tangible format. This can be something as minimal as writing down your song lyrics on a piece of paper, making a note of the melody on some manuscript, or using a digital device to make a vocal or instrumental recording. So if you’re based in the US, copyrighting your music by a more official means will give you that added layer of protection, if, or when, you ever find yourself in the middle of a copyright dispute.īut the truth is, putting pen to paper or sound to recording is the first official step for claiming your music copyright – whether that’s for a song, a symphony or a jingle. ![]() If you register before your music is stolen or misused, you can get granted a large payout – anything up to $150,000 per infringement, plus legal fees. And if the case were to arise, failing to officially register your music would prevent you from taking anyone who stole or misused your music to court.Įarly registration is highly recommended. This involves registering your songs and music with the US Copyright Office (USCO) and for US artists, this has definite benefits in terms of increasing your leverage, protection& power, when it comes to making money from your music catalog.Īs a result of new legislation passed in 2019 by the US Supreme Court, all music and songs must now be registered with the USCO before you can file any kind of copyright dispute or infringement lawsuit. In the US, there’s a more official copyrighting process to be aware of.
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