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Copyright Protection
by
Marc Schonbrun
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- You own the work you create
- Formal copyright filing is inexpensive
- ASCAP & BMI protect copyrighted music
You have to know how legally to protect your songs. If you’re writing your own material, you own the intellectual property fully. But if you don’t take the proper steps to protect yourself, you might get yourself in trouble, or worse yet, give away your music. Here’s the lowdown on the copyright process and how to secure your rights.
From the minute you record music, you own it. The law protects you as the creator of your work. However, if things get messy later on, you might regret not having filed a formal copyright application with the U.S. government. It’s easy and inexpensive.
All you have to do is fill out a few forms and send a check for each work, which typically totals $30 for a full album. If someone tries to use your music in the future without your permission, you will have a much better footing in court if you choose to litigate for copyright infringement of intellectual property. It’s so simple to do; you really should take a few minutes and do it.
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) are two organizations that serve to protect copyrighted music and its writers and publishers. Typically, you will need to join both ASCAP and BMI after you sign a record contract; most likely someone at the recording company will take care of setting all this up for you.
If your song gets played on the radio, the organization—ASCAP or BMI—would make sure you get paid the proper royalty. It’s very rare to have music on the radio without a label behind you—not impossible, but not common.
...from The Everything Home Recording Book.
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