The Importance of Registering Your Music Copyrights
It’s always rewarding to complete a great song, but with a great release comes an even greater responsibility: protecting your work. Imagine someone else taking credit for your music or the risk of not receiving the royalties you are owed.
Registering your copyright ensures that your music is fully protected by copyright laws and that all royalties generated are owed to you as the copyright owner. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties go uncollected simply due to peoples’ lack of ownership— DON’T be one of those people.
What Is Eligible For Copyright Registration?
In the world of music, copyright protects musical works—including any accompanying words—that are fixed in some tangible medium of expression. Tangible means it can be touched, viewed, or deemed real. So in this case, a tangible medium is a piece of work documented through written words or recorded sound. You cannot copyright an idea.
Compositions vs Sound Recordings
Registrations for compositions include music and lyrics, however, they do not include a sound recording. For example, if a person recorded their own version of Doja Cat’s “Say So,” they could copyright that version of the sound recording, even though the copyright of the original composition already exists. Songwriters own copyrights of music and lyrics (compositions), whereas performing artists own copyrights to a specific vocal performance.
What Permissions Come with a Copyright?
Once you register your copyright for your composition or recording, you have rights over the music. You control how your music is used as well as who gets to use it. Copyright owners hold the rights to:
1. Reproduce the copyrighted work
Reproduction of your work includes CDs, downloads, or even vinyl.
2. Distribute the copyrighted work
Allowing your music to be streamed on platforms and made available to the public.
3. Create derivatives of the copyrighted work
New productions that are based on work that already exists. This can be a song, artwork, video, or even samples.
4. Publicly perform and display the copyrighted work
Public performances include but are not limited to concerts, radio plays, or streams.
By holding these exclusive rights, users will have to get your permission to license your work for usage. If they release or use your music without requesting a license to use it, they have infringed your copyright.
The Copyright Registration Process
All copyrights require the completion of an application that requests information like song titles, publication status, and the claims that accompany your work. You can send your work by mail or upload it online. Moreover, it must be completed correctly to avoid delays in issuance, for the average copyright process takes roughly 2-3 months to be completed. Despite the wait, this process is necessary because, without proper ownership, your royalties and rights cannot be guaranteed.
Ready to register your copyrights but don’t want the hassle of completing all of the information that is required? Let the Mezzo Agency assist you with this.