copyrighting many somgs on a CD and who really gets the credit?

[elegal]

Can you copyright more then 1 song on a CD? I know the fee for copyrighting and it would make more sense to fit all you can on a cd.

 

Also, when a work is produce, who gets credit? For example.

 

Me and my freind make a beat together. Then an artist comes in and sings over it. Who owns the song? Is the beat copyrighted or the lyrics? How do we break the shares down if we plan to make money?

[Vatican]

I've been wondering this as well. I have a different solution to the problem which I think is most fair, however I've never seen it put into practice. I'm not even sure if there's a legal basis for it, but here goes:

 

Hypothetical situation: guitarist writes a 'song' and shows it to the singer, who adds lyrics and vocal. The whole band practice it with the bassist and drummer.

 

In my opinion, the guitarist owns the rights to whatever he plays, and the same for everyone else in the band. The drummer owns the rights to his drum playing, his execution and the recording of his percussion.

 

This would NOT mean that the singer, for example, co-owns the whole song and go walk off with it and re-record it with a new band. No! He would only own the lyrics and his singing melody. If he were to re-record it, he'd have to find a band that was enterprising enough to create whole new parts to go with his singing and lyrics.

 

This would more properly ensure that rights and true authorship are maintained, and might also dissuade people from leaving bands after they had invested themselves in the group's music. However, it would also ensure that all members get royalties whenever the recorded song is sold. However, if some other band wanted to 'cover' the song, they would only have to reimburse and seek permission from those members of the bands whose parts they wish to mimic.

 

I'm curious if anyone agrees with that, and whether it would be enforceable. I suppose what would have to happen is that each part would have to be bounced to a separate CD and copyrighted separately. More money, but perhaps it would be worth it.

[HighKing]

While I may agree with you guys philosophically, you can be certain that U.S. law most assuredly does *not*.

 

The law recognizes the author of the lyrics, not of the beats/loops as the author of the song.

 

Basically, the copyright laws are outdated and right now only really recognize melody and lyrics.

 

You could try to take whomever rips you off in this fashion to federal court, but, honestly, you don't have much of a chance of winning.

 

Basically, if you're in this sort of situation, copyright everything as co-writers, instead of splitting things as "Author: lyrics, Author:music"

 

Just say: Co-authors: x + y.

[elegal]

 

Originally posted by HighKing While I may agree with you guys philosophically, you can be certain that U.S. law most assuredly does *not*. The law recognizes the author of the lyrics, not of the beats/loops as the author of the song. Basically, the copyright laws are outdated and right now only really recognize melody and lyrics. You could try to take whomever rips you off in this fashion to federal court, but, honestly, you don't have much of a chance of winning. Basically, if you're in this sort of situation, copyright everything as co-writers, instead of splitting things as "Author: lyrics, Author:music" Just say: Co-authors: x + y.

 

 

 

hello and thank you for you reply.

 

On the Sr forms do we put the authors as anyone who created the song or just the artist?

 

What if someone else copyrights our works and claims them as theirs yet we have all the music archived on a computer? How does that work?

 

Also, if we have 15 songs, do we need to send in 15 different cd's with the $30 fee for each CD, or can we just put 15 songs on 1 CD, and send in 30$?

[BlueStrat]

 

Originally posted by elegal hello and thank you for you reply. On the Sr forms do we put the authors as anyone who created the song or just the artist? What if someone else copyrights our works and claims them as theirs yet we have all the music archived on a computer? How does that work? Also, if we have 15 songs, do we need to send in 15 different cd's with the $30 fee for each CD, or can we just put 15 songs on 1 CD, and send in 30$?

 

 

Have you not looked at the US copyright website? All this is covered in the FAQ section.

[HighKing]

Originally posted by elegal hello and thank you for you reply. On the Sr forms do we put the authors as anyone who created the song or just the artist? What if someone else copyrights our works and claims them as theirs yet we have all the music archived on a computer? How does that work? Also, if we have 15 songs, do we need to send in 15 different cd's with the $30 fee for each CD, or can we just put 15 songs on 1 CD, and send in 30$?

 

Check out the FAQ at the Copyright site. You can use one CD, what you put on is up to you...as far copyright "theft" --- the only sure-fire way to prevent someone from stealing your song is to make it popular before they do.

 

Copyright always take precedence over archives or self-mailed envelopes or whatever. Unless, of course, you're wealthy/famous...in which case power trumps legal copyright.

[Diablopop]

If you're really worried about who's going to get rich off your music, make some contracts. They don't have to be complicated, and you don't need a team of lawyers - just make sure everybody gets a copy. Sure, a contract like this could be picked apart by lawyers, but for the most part it will indicate everyone's intent and understanding of what they deserve.

 

Odds are (and no offense by this) like much of the good music in the world, it will never earn a dime, so fighting about ownership can be a little useless. Once you're in a position to start making money, you'll probably be keenly aware of how badly you need a lawyer.