daddymack

technically, the moment you set them in any 'tangible' form (written down, recorded), the copyright is in effect. So if you recorded them in 1999, that is your copyright date. The registration date will is the date you actually registered them.

No. Each country pretty much does their own thing with copyright.

Register them as a collection on one disc, under a master title with the individual titles inclusive.

I am told people are holding for 2 hours minimum when calling into customer service. Apparently they cut tons of customer service jobs there after it was sold. well, at least they didn't outsource it to India, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Belize...

Originally Posted by mgv1 I just wanted to ask anyone familiar with copyright law if a copyright needs to be completely processed and issues by the Copyright Office before the artist outplaces music to music publishers, online libraries, or distribution services to be protected. In my understanding, the copyright is in effect upon date of receipt of the application and recorded material by the Copyright Office. I'm asking because I have waited almost a year for a non-online copyright application and about 6 months for an Eco filed copyright. Neither are processed yet and I'm wanting to get the music out there. Well, the copyright exists as soon as the work is in tangible form (written or recorded). Publishers want to ensure there are no issues, and want to see that a copyright has been properly registered. The only way to satisfy them is with the registration.

separate filing

please define what you mean by 'published'. If you had a publishing agreement for a song in 2006, then you must have had a copyright filed. If you mean you released the song on a CD or your website, but you had not filed for a copyright, that is different. In this particular case, I would apply the 2009 date to all if you didn't have a copyright, as the odds are no one has tried to steal the song you put out in 2006.

Originally Posted by thefyn How do I copyright a compilation CD with 14 different artists on it? HCAF is putting out a metal CD recorded by forumites to send to A&R, radio, magazines etc etc. I would suggest that each artist secure their own Copyright for their materials.

The point isn't how many times it has been covered. The question is whether it is in the public domain, where you can freely cover it, or it is still 'protected' under copyright. Any 'covers' you want to do should be licensed or verified that they are public domain. The Harry Fox Agency (HFA) is your best bet for the licensing.

Originally Posted by slight-return Quick distinction here - copyright exists (automatically) at the time of fixation. What we are talking about here is REGISTRATION of a copyright claim. It's not so much "get the copyright" as it is "register the copyright claim" correct, the intent was to register ...

Originally Posted by the_offspring Heres my question. I have finished writing the lyrics and guitar riffs for my album. Should i copyright it before i start sending out demos to record companies? And if do have to copyright it, is it okay if i send in a cd with me singing on my acoustic guitar. I just dont want to record them using my eletric right now, it will take to long Any tangible version is copyright-able, and yes, before you try to shop it, get the copyright.

Originally Posted by Crazy88Fingers Okay, I've got a good one for you guys. My band recorded a demo song last year. I just got the copyright certificate in the mail today. Here's the problem. The copyright has two of the old band members' names on it. Now we're about to record a new EP that includes the old demo song, and want them off the copyright. We have new members and all the old members' work is no longer being used (they only contributed their individual tracks). So how do we go about doing that? Can we just re-copyright the new recordings? What's the easiest way to go about this? Also, can I copyright individual parts of the songs? Like my keyboard tracks? I'm not sure if I explained it well enough. But thanks in advance. Did yo ufile SR or PA? If it is SR, then no problem, but if it is PA, you screwed yourself. Ahh, yes, this is the error too commonly made. When you file the copyright (PA), the authors (who wrote the music/melody/changes and the lyrics) of the work should be the only ones named on the filing. Because they created it. Whatever contributions were made by the band fleshing out the recorded version are moot in that respect. Too often bandmates insist on being credited as co-writers when they really contributed just their tracks, and did not 'create' anything. In this particular case, go ahead and re-record the song...but make sure you have/get a authorship copyright on the actual song, not the version.

Originally Posted by No Arrow_Dann here is what im trying/would like to get done: -copyright the bandname -copyright the song titles -copyright the album can i get this done with one form? and one payment? thanks... band name? Nope, but you may be able to get a trademark on it... song titles? Nope, you cannot copyright the title, since titles can be applied to a myraid of lyrics. the album? yes, you can as a single work, but then you have issues licensing individual songs if you wanted to have them shopped around and covered.

Originally Posted by Wheeler004 If someone were to lift your music after it had been sent to the copyright office but before it had been approved, would you have any legal leverage? yes. You are the owner of the copyright the moment the material is in 'tangible' form. Your submission to the Copyright Office is dated upon receipt as well.

Originally Posted by Screaming Stone thx for the positive comments everyone. robroy - yeah, the theft has always been going on - tons of ways to describe what I'm doing: shedding light on the situation, bringing it to the attention of the consumers...I don't care - as long as people know just how much theft is going on and how little is recovered (its almost like this random musician tax - random musicians get their gear ripped off...) daddymack - I sent you pm, please check. SS, I have altered the title, for obvious reasons....thread is stuck and I think the service you are establishing is right on the mark for HC!

Originally Posted by Screaming Stone (I think this is a music biz appropriate - it's not for sale, and the idea of the post is to HELP the community of musicians - but if not, instead of wasting your time flaming - please spend your time helping some of the bands to get their gear back. Thanks.) SS, I agree, I think this is a valuable service as long as you are not profiting from it directly, I will permit this....in fact, I think, if you will allow me, I may create a sticky and direct link for our members to verify gear that they are offered...please PM me to discuss.

Thanks BlueStrat...this was long over due. Yes, it costs money Yes, you can download the Forms NO, it isn't registered with ASCAP/BMI etc. when you file a copyright NO it isn't published Yes, you can register online (and save $10[$35 vs $45]) Yes, you can register multiple songs as a collection to save on the 'per filing' fees Also, check this thread, it may clarify some issues for you regarding using copyrighted materials http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?t=1679637 If you want to use someone else's material, you might start with the Harry Fox Agency to get a mechanical license... What did I miss? ah, yes...on a side note, those of you have put cover songs on your CD, got your mechanical license squared away with the HFA, and then you shot a video...did you remember to get a sync license for the video use? From DIY Musician: Here’s 5 points of copyright that every musician should know: 1. Your Exclusive Rights As a copyright owner, you get six exclusive rights. You alone can create copies of your song, distribute it, make derivatives, display it, and perform the composition and sound recording. (We’ll look at the difference between the composition and sound recording later.) If someone else wants to do any of these things, they need to get permission from you, and, in most cases, provide some sort of payment. 2. How to Get Copyright Protection So now that you know what the rights granted by copyright are, how do you get them? You don’t actually need to register your song with the Federal copyright office to own the copyright (at least in the US). The moment you put your song into tangible form – written down or recorded – you automatically get the six exclusive rights we just looked at. 3. Is Registration Necessary? So if you already get all your rights just by writing a song down, why waste time (and money) on a federal registration? If you sue for infringement of your music, a federal registration with the US Copyright Office entitles you to statutory damages and attorney fees. We won’t get into the technical points of statutory damages, but more times than not, it will be more financially beneficial for you to ask for statutory damages in the event of copyright infringement. On top of that, a federal registration is the best proof of ownership you can get. The “poorman’s copyright” has historically been very popular among musicians. By sending a copy of the music to yourself via mail and leaving the package sealed, you essentially date the creation by the federal postmark on the letter. While this is better than no evidence, a federal registration holds much more weight in court. 4. Infringement There is no rule in copyright law that sets a minimum standard for infringement. This means that even a five second sample could be considered infringement. Using a popular song, or the “hook” of a song will put you at greater risk of infringing than using a lesser-known song. However, it’s best to play it safe and get permission for any copyrighted material you use. Another point worth noting, you cannot copyright chord progressions or drum beats for the most part. Imagine how difficult it would be to write if someone had the basic rock drum beat or the I, IV, V chord progression copyrighted! 5. Two Different Kinds of Copyright Everyone knows about the composition copyright. That’s the one you get for actually writing the song; it protects the arrangement of melody and lyrics. However, there’s another one that protects the unique arrangement of sounds – the sound recording copyright. The composition copyright is owned by the songwriter and the sound recording copyright is owned by the recording artist, so if you write and record your songs you’ve got two copyrights under your belt. A song can have an infinite number of sound recording copyrights, but only one composition copyright. Think of it this way: if you wrote and recorded a song you would have a composition copyright and a sound recording copyright. If you recorded an acoustic version of that same song, you would have a second sound recording copyright. In the same way, when someone covers your song, they create their own sound recording copyright for the cover. They will, however, still need to get permission to use the composition copyright.