Should I copyright all my songs?
That’s a question I used to ask, and it’s one I’ve heard a lot over the years from other songwriters. Here are my thoughts on it. Hopefully, this will give you some answers, some guidance and some peace. By the way, I am NOT a lawyer, so this is NOT legal advice. Always check with a legal professional before making big decisions.
Read on.
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What do the pros do?
I used to work in the royalty department of Bluewater Music. We wouldn’t send off a copyright registration until the day a song was commercially released. The last time I checked, it cost $40 to register a work, and it’s just financial suicide for a prolific writer or publisher to invest that much per song. I’ve had years when I’ve written 100 songs – that’s $4,000 just to register the copyrights! Even if you only register the songs you demo and pitch, it’s still not a good use of time and money.
What if somebody steals your song?
First of all, it’s hard to sue and prove plagiarism. You can’t copyright a title, idea or approach. Secondly, you have to prove the “thief” had access to your song. Thirdly, and most importantly, they’d have to make enough money off your song to make it worth your time to take legal action. Basically, it would have to be a hit. And that is VERY hard to do! The odds of that happening is so very slim that it’s a non-issue. Don’t let it stop you from pitching your songs or playing them out.
Do you protect your songs at all?
Yes. I leave a paper trail to prove the date of creation (which is a huge part of proving ownership). But, honestly, this is more to protect ME from someone suing me. I keep a paper calendar where I write my cowrite dates and cowriters. I write on a laptop, but I also copy the lyric into a series of notebooks with the date on each page. Additionally, I keep the Garageband file of each worktape. For songs which are part of a publishing deal, there’s an additional paper trail- assignments, Schedule A, etc.
You own the song the moment you write it down or record it. Registering your song with the copyright office just helps to prove it.
So, that’s me. I don’t copyright a song until it is commercially released. But how you handle it is up to you. If it’s worth $40 a pop to help you feel comfortable sharing your top songs with the world, that’s cool. I hope that gives you some answers.
If you have other questions (copyright or otherwise), and you want to ask a music industry pro, I have a great opportunity for you. In August, I’m hosting a “Know The Row” event with not one but TWO legit music business pros!
On August 14, you can hang out online and ask YOUR questions to music publisher, Scot Sherrod, of Rare Spark Media. Scot has had his hand in several hit country songs, and his current roster includes rising country star, Walker Hayes (“You Broke Up With Me” and “Craig.”)
Then on August 16, you can hang out online and ask YOUR questions to songwriter and recording artist, Aaron Goodvin. As a songwriter, Aaron has had songs recorded by country stars Luke Bryan and Cole Swindell. Goodvin is also a rising artist on Warner Bros. Canada with a few hits and award nominations to his credit. And he is also signed as a writer with Reviver Records. Reviver is home to hit-making artists such as LoCash and David Lee Murphy.
This is YOUR chance to sit down face-to-face (online) with two real-deal music biz professionals.
You and I both want to learn what Scot and Aaron have to share.
Here’s the deal. You can join us online from anywhere in the world on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 from 7pm-8pm Central time and Thursday, August 16, 2018, exact time that evening TBD. And these special “Know The Row” events are FREE to members of Frettie.com! (But don’t worry- you can still purchase a ticket even if you don’t want to take advantage of all of Frettie’s membership benefits.)
Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US, a #1 in Canada & a top 10 in Texas… so far.
Good advice that I’ve pretty much followed. I know a guy who copyrights his stuff, but bundles it (puts a dozen or more “songs” into one recording and copyrights it as “Joe Schmoe Song April 1, 2018.” That to me is wasteful, since a person could actually “steal” a whole song and claim that it is just a “blip” of the registered “song.”
I heard that if record your original and e-mail to yourself then that’s a poor man copyright and enough proof that it’s your song.
An attorney told me to do exactly as you explained, only back then it was cassette tape.
This is a very helpful article, since it is covering both the basics and the personal approach specifics. I enjoyed reading it – and learned new things at the same time!
I don’t really write enough to warrant not registering so I do it anyway. The cost these days is $85 dollars per song, but if your in the business like Brent, I am sure there are many ways around it IE: copywriting after the song is either published or recording of Course a Publisher will probably register the song automatically
You can copyright a whole list of songs for the cost of one copyright. I’ve copyrighted 20 or more songs this way and I’ve done it three times.
Hi,
I have done the exact same thing a few times… comes to about $1 a lyric. It is worth it for me, gives me some additional insurance and self-confidence when I send my stuff around.
And I pray someone will lift a couple of lines, even better, a whole verse, from my crappy lyrics, get a hit song, so my lawyer can sue and I get me a bit of change my lyrics would never make on their own… my 2 cents.