COPYRIGHTING YOUR MUSIC
Putting a work into a tangible medium automatically gives the author copyright protection, which consists of six basic rights:
To reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords
To prepare derivative works based upon the work
To distribute copies or phonorecords of the work to the public
To perform the work publicly (for certain kinds of works)
To display the work publicly (for certain kinds of works)
In the case of sound recordings, to perform the work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission.
To fully protect these rights you should register your work with the copyright office www.copyright.gov by filing the proper form www.copyright.gov/forms/ Along with mailing in the form you must also pay $45 to the copyright office, and send in two copies of the best version of the work if published, one copy if unpublished.
SideBMusic recommends that you register your work so that you have the maximum protection if there is a case of infringement. If the work originated in the United States, then the you must register your work before you can file a lawsuit for copyright infringement. Copyright infringement actions are litigated in Federal court. However, disputes over copyright ownership are litigated under State law.
With the world of Internet making it possible for others around the world to have access to your work it is important to understand how that can affect you. The U.S. is a part of many treaties that help protect copyright including the World Trade Organization (WTO), Berne Convention, and World Intellectual Property Organization Treaties (WIPO). These treaties require that their members meet certain standards, but if a work is infringed with in another country then one must go by the laws of that country.
There are still countries that do not have any copyright laws such as Iran. In those countries there is nothing that one can do about infringement.
If you need a European copyright this URL may help you: www.eblida.org/ecup/ If you live in a country other than the United States, and have information about copyrights in your country, please send it to SideBMusic so we can inform others about how to protect their work from unwanted and illegal reproduction and distribution.
Perspectives vary about allowing free duplication of music recordings. Regardless of your position, you do have the right to enforce the copyrights to your creative work. And each free distribution of your work is just that, free; no money in your pocket.
Sound recordings are copyrighted separately from the written songs. The copyright of sound recordings protects the specific performance of a song that is recorded.
Groups of songs lyrics and written music may be copyrighted with one application. However, make sure you specify that each song (lyrics and written music) is to be protected independently. Otherwise, infringement of one song could result in less than the maximum statutory damages.
There are special conditions when copyrighting separate song lyrics and written music together in one group when there is more than one songwriter; at least one person must be a co-writer in each of the songs.
The transfer of rights may only occur by a written document and it should be signed by all relevant parties. When contracting with SideBMusic, we do not assume the copyrights to your lyrics and written music. You are giving SideBMusic the copyright to specific sound recordings, namely, the recordings made for the album stated in the contract, the one we will be marketing for you.
LICENSING AND ROYALTIES
There are various ways to profit from your songwriting. Many artists record and sell their work independently or through a record company. Selling rights is another way, and there are various ways this can be done.
You could sell the copyright of your song(s). If you do that you will only get paid once and someone else will own the rights to your song(s). Whoever owns the copyright of the songs can license permission to use the songs as many times and to as many people who request them. Whoever uses a song not written by him/herself is required by law to obtain permission, and royalties are to be paid to the copyright owner.
Graphic Rights: the right to print a song by someone other than the copyright owner (e.g. sheet music and lyric sheets).
Mechanical Rights: the right to record a song by someone other than the copyright owner.
Performance Rights: right to perform a song by someone other than the copyright owner (royalties are paid to a performing rights organization such as ASCAP or BMI, a portion of which goes to the copyright owner).
Direct license: royalties are paid directly to the copyright owner rather than through a performing rights organization.
Master Use: grants the right to use the sound recording. (If you have a contract with SideBMusic, we generally own the copyrights of sound recordings included in an album and would control the rights to their use. This is typical when a band signs with a record company.)
Check out these links : good information about copyrighting.
Stanford University Library
Beatnik Turtle
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