Need help Copyrighting music/lyrics. Don't really know how to go about it?

Question

I am a singer/songwriter and want to start showing off my writings and music and I can already due that via internet video but am afraid to put anything out there that isn't copyrighted or protected form people stealing it saying it's there own. Can anyone tell me the best way to go about starting to get my music/lyrics copyrighted? Any input will be appreciated. Thanx

Answer 1

The instant you write it, it's copyrighted. You don't have to do anything. Thank the Berne Convention for that.

You can register it with the U.S. government (and the government of all the other countries in the world), but that's a formality. However, it does establish legal evidence that the work is yours. (Sending it to yourself via registered or certified mail is not a valid way to copyright something and wouldn't hold water if you were sued.)

Answer 2

Try contacting museums from the genres of music that you sing and write. For instance, if you write country lyrics, try contacting the Grand Ol' Opry and ask them some general questions or maybe the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, etc. They might be able to get you on the right foot. I have a couple of lyrics written too, but I'm not a singer. I am wondering the same thing you are. I found lyric contests online, but I have a hard time trusting websites. Good luck, and let me know the results, if you want too.

Answer 3

The act of copyrighting happens the moment a unique work of intellectual property is created; the copyright is implicit. Example:
As the tops of the willows swayed under the weight of the increasing gale, Thelma Lou hurried along the shoreline to the small shack. (c)
That paragraph is now my copyrighted material. No one else can use it for any purposes without violating my copyright (any YA TOS notwithstanding).

The problem is usually in proving who created it first. The easiest way around this is to mail it to yourself and put the unopened envelope away; the postmark will prove the date.

The other, official, and slower way is at the URL below.

Answer 4

Assuming you're interior the united kingdom. Copyright is yours as rapidly as you press the shutter button (with some exceptions regarding employment and so on,) so which you're loose to do with the photos what you prefer. there is no would desire to have them registered at everywhere for the copyright interior the artwork to exist, doing so could be a waste of money interior the total majority of circumstances. once you're posting photos onto the WWW then there is constantly the risk they would be stolen and utilized in distinctive places. to objective to limit the probabilities of that occurring then any photos printed would desire to easiest be low decision and it extremely is a robust option to place a watermark on them. additionally make sure that your substantial factors are embedded interior the Exif/IPTC fields. this would additionally be stripped out regardless of if it extremely is a few ingredient which you in common terms would desire to on your workflow as nicely. be sure that while you sell the two a print or digital document that the client is familiar with of what they're able to apply the image for. there is no foolproof technique of coming up constructive that your photos won't be utilized in distinctive places yet once you're taking the elementary steps to make sure persons recognize they're your photos then a minimum of it places off the "casual" copyright thieves. once you're interior the US. extremely a similar applies as nicely which you will "verify in" the photos regardless of if all that shows is that are meant to all and sundry use the shot illegally then you definitely would desire to be powerfuble to declare extra beneficial from them. The copyright as quickly as extra is yours from the time the shutter is pressed.

Answer 5

The web address presented above will do the trick you can download the proper forms. But it costs $25 to do this. SO, make sure you do it as a book of songs - 6-8 at a time, for $25. If you do it as individual songs, you pay $25 each. Why should you shell THAT out when you don't have to?

Peace!

For a quickie backup, mail it to yourself, via registered mail. KEEP it without opening it. You're covered.

Peace.

Answer 6

You get your work copyrighted online for using a good legal document service.

Here is a resource I used before.

Answer 7

Register it

http://www.copyright.gov/