Copyright Your Music as a New Recording Artist

As a new artist, when you record music you want to put it out to the world as quickly as possible. New artists will often make the mistake of putting their music out there online or in the hands of record labels without realizing their rights to protect the art that they have created and to make sure that it stays in their hands. So before you find yourself in a scenario where your work has been copied or stolen, it is wise to learn how to copyright your music  right from the start.

Individual Copyrights for Your Songs

A lot of producers, artists and musicians will put together an album of about 12 songs and then copyright the entire album at once. This may not be the wisest way to go about copyrighting your music. It can be much safer to copyright each song on an album. This can avoid confusion in the case of someone taking your songs because you can be compensated for each individual track instead of just one copyright violation.

How to Copyright Your Music

The most important step to copyright your music as well as your intellectual copyrights will be to make sure that you registered your music with a copyright office. By registering your music you will gain a record of proof that you are the owner of the music as well as rights in the case of copyright infringement. In order to get the process rolling you must request an SR (Sound Recording) or PA (Performing Arts) application form from the Copyright Office in Washington D.C. You can also download the application from their website or contact them by phone at (202)707-9100.

What to Expect

 Once you have begun copyrighting your new music you can expect peace of mind in knowing that you are protected in the case of copyright infringement. The registration fee is $45 for each application or $35 if you file online.