MrGroovePhonic Thank you for this video! There is one thing I wanted to double check on, I uploaded my demos that I have written all myself of songs. I uploaded MP3 files, and also lyrics of the songs where I verified that I have written all of the music and lyrics. You said that you “CAN” Upload a MP3 file to protect the musical content of your work correct? I wasn’t sure if you said can or cannot, I did this and thought that once I have the final version of everything I will upload it as a sound recording because I know that that’s what I will release.
I just looked. I think his information is old. If you are copyrighting the song you wrote, AND the recording, use "Sound Recording". On the copyright page is says: "If you are registering BOTH a musical work and the recorded performance of that work, select “Sound Recording”. Likewise, select “Sound Recording” if you are registering BOTH a textual work and the recorded performance of that work. Note: A musical work (such as music and/or lyrics) or a textual work (such as a lecture, sermon, or book) and the recorded performance of that work may be registered with one application ONLY (i) if the author(s) named in the application contributed to both works, or (ii) if the copyright claimant owns all rights in both works through a written transfer of copyright."
@@AlexWeeks saw the same thing myself! however every video on here including the guy from Berkelee recommends having two separate copyrights SR and PA.
Thank you thank you sooo much for this step by step walk through! Feel like you saved my life and took alot of the fear out of doing this. Just registered a bunch of works and it went just like you said! Feel like a weights been lifted. Thanks again..
Peaches, at what bitrate did you encode your mp3 files at? The more tracks uploaded the bigger the size, but by decreasing the bitrate from 320 Kbps cd quality to 64 Kbps, one can squeeze more sound files within the 40 MB limit. So, is quality more important, or no that important?
Hi Chrenko, how are you? I would like to register my five songs lyrics and melodies, all of them have independent titles, I mean separate titles, if I record all of them in one cd and upload in one file, so how should I mention my all the titles of the lyrics, I am little confused, It would save my money, do you have any idea. remain grateful if you could let me know, regards.
Just finished copyrighting my new Extended Play and I must say, you made this process as smooth as possible. God bless and thanks so much for taking the time to upload this video.
Thank you so much! Other videos on UA-cam were just trying to get through the process as fast as possible and you actually took the time to properly explain things so I can confidently copyright my work. Again, thank you!
I wish I would have found this video when I did my first copyright. I may have done it wrong, but it was only 2 songs. Oh well, Thank you very much for the step by step instructions. Now I know what to do. You made my life so much better MrGroovePhonic
Great tutorial. I've been putting this off because it seemed too intimidating to attempt on my own. This will be a great time saver. Thank you so much.
I like the way you broke it down, you made it easier for me to register and submit my work as a song writer online, no longer will I submit my work via mail.
Thank you so much even though I am a visual art this video has really helped me. I was confused by the multiple song/painting filing. I was reading for awhile but I had to see it order for it to click in my head. Thank you
Great, informative video. Thanks! You've pointed out that if you have some songs in your collection that have multiple authors, they need to submitted as a separate filing. What if all the songs in the collection share the same contributors, where one wrote all the lyrics and the other wrote all the music (like Elton John/Bernie Taupin)?
Thank you for this great tutorial. The process prior to viewing your video was confusing. You made it all plain and clear. I got to the checkout, paid the $55, but I had not yet uploaded my songs. Can I leave the site to locate my recordings and return to the uploading section? Can I perform my songs live after I upload them or do I have to wait for 6 weeks? Thanks again.
I absolutely love this video & definitely appreciate it. My only question is this.. i understand the difference between filing under PA & SR now. But what if you own everything. The beat, melodies, lyrics, & masters of your music. When do we file them as SR once we file them as PA? do we start over & do them as SR or do we let our publishing handle that?
Select Sound Recording if you are registering up to 10 sound recordings. Note that a musical work (song) and a particular recording of that song are two separate works. A “musical work” consists of music and/or lyrics (either printed or audio). A recording of a particular performance of a song is a “Sound Recording.” You may be able to register up to 10 recordings and the music, lyrics, or other works that are contained in those recordings. To do so, the author(s) of the recordings and the author(s) of the songs or other works contained on those recordings must be the same person(s), and the authors must be the claimant(s) for both the recordings and the works contained on the recordings. To register only the sound recordings (in other words to register particular recordings without registering the music and/or lyrics for the songs), select “Sound Recording”. To register both the sound recordings and the musical (or other) works contained on the sound recordings, select “Sound Recording”. To register only the musical works, select “Work of the Performing Arts.”
Hi, I wanted to say this was a excellent video that clearly helps understand each individual part of the form. KUDOS to that !! And it’s much appreciated. But I did want to say that I have triple verified (music lawyer, website instructions and talked to representative at copyright office) that when someone is the sole author/claimant and wants to register the copyrights of all 3 - musical composition, lyrics and the sound recording, that you can use the SR form. Within that form is a place to say what your the author of and you add lyrics and music there along with the sound recording too obviously. It actually clearly lets you know this with these instructions on the SR form on the website: “Form SR should be used when the copyright claim is limited to the sound recording itself, **and it may also be used where the same copyright claimant is seeking simultaneous registration of the underlying musical, dramatic, or literary work embodied in the phono-record.”** So I was just curious if you knew this already and is there a legitimate legal reason why you feel it’s inadaquate ? Or is this just simply something you didn’t know ? I’d like to know before I move forward as it would be so much easier for me to do them all on one form because my songs are all final mastered and done and owned by me. But I don’t want to make a mistake.
Hello, excellent video, thanks so much. One question, why did you upload sound files for WORK OF THE PERFORMING ARTS? shouldn't it be written music in order to protect your lyrics, melodies and chord changes??
I have a lot of questions that remain unclear for me, even after watching the whole video: Are music compositions considered “published” when uploaded to UA-cam ? I didn't fully understood the difference (& why it is important) between collection of public works & collection of unpublic works ? If I uploaded to youtube my music- how do I consider it ? public ? why is that important ? If I already uploaded to youtube my songs, I can register them all as one collection ? What if you make a mistake, unintentionally, filling the form ? you will not be eligible to get your claims in court ? If I'm not a company yet, but in the future I will be- can I write there my future company name ? What about variations of music ? if I make different mixes to every song (mix to youtube, mix to itunes ect...)- should I register every variation again & again ? BTW- I think there is application that contains PA + SR both. Thanks for the info !
So far the best step by step video explanation thank you do much. If you don't mind I have a question: I'm from Casablanca Morocco, is the site covering the whole world or just the US? Thank you again.
Great video, very informative. As a producer, is better to select "PA" or "SR" for type of work when the track is being sent out as a demo to artists and music labels for further use?
Great video, it makes me feel very confident about the copyright process. I have two questions, though: 1) If I wanted to copyright an album, but some of the songs on it I've already had copyrighted/published, can I/do I still upload those files? 2) This was a demonstration of the Form PA. So after submitting this form, would it be safe to immediately do this process again for Form SR?
Kulton Jackson what's up bro this cangduff I had a couple of questions about you and your music so get at me whenever you can hopefully we could discuss proper business turms
Great UA-cam video...Questions 1. After copyrighting a collection will there be one copyright form listing each song or will the copyright form just list the collection title? 2. Is there an advantage to copyrighting individually? 3. As an independent music publisher should I register first with ISMN or register the music after copyrighting?
Thank you for your sharing this video, it's useful. and i have a question that other countries companies and people can apply for US copyright? thank you!
nicely done. My son is only 17 and would like to register his composed music. some of his music has some tunes and voices from his keyboard, can i still register his music. Thank you.
Hi Yacine, unless your son is sampling long sections of popular songs into his keyboard, you're probably going to be ok with the sounds you're using in the tracks. To my understanding, keyboard manufacturers issue you the sounds on a 100% royalty-free basis when they pop out a unit to go in a store. Same is true for software synths like Reason etc. - pretty much any collection of digital sounds that you PURCHASE in one way or another, comes with a royalty-free chain of usage rights - seems to me it would be silly any other way. They could probably sue you if they wanted to if the sound banks had been illegally downloaded from some share site, although it would be really rate that they would go after anyone for that these days. I think you'd have to make a lot of money and make it really obvious that you've grabbed a riff that someone else owns, like what happened with Rick James Superfreak and MC Hammer Can't Touch This. There are so many millions and millions of public domain sounds out there now and all with these keywords and software synths, so have fun & I hope this helps!
How long does the copyright office take to close a case for a song? And is it okay to release the song before the case has been closed by the copyright office as long as you have all the steps and payment complete?
Hi really good video. The only question I got is I see you upload the songs but what about the writting the actual composition? i hope hear from you soon thanks
if you mean music notation on paper or lyrics or whatever, you can simply either scan or somehow get them electronically into a file and upload it into the copyright website. Hope this helps Remigo
PA for the underlying song itself regardless of who records it or where it is performed anywhere/time in the future. SR is for the specific master that gets airplay or synced or whatever. PA = who composed this and gets paid for writing the work regardless of which master it is on SR = who owns this master and gets paid for airplay or sync [just this master or SR] yes you can do it all at once in an SR. Is it a good idea? I don't think so. You want as many specific rights as you can get
Awesome video. Got a question. Did copyright.gov changed few things? Because "register a new claim" nor the first 3 questions aren't there anymore? Also, for the songs which I wrote both music and the lyric I should choose the "work of the performing arts" and not the "sound recording"? You explained it very well on the video but I just couldn't fully understand it. Sorry about that.
I recommend filing a form PA to cover the songs regardless of the recording. Then file a form SR after you have created a sound recording (like a master) that is going to be published and copyright that with form SR
Very informative video! I would like to be clear on the title section. I plan on copywriting 40 songs but its not for a CD or album, just songs I created. My question is, Can I just name the title (Songs Ive written) and upload all 40 songs with lyrics etc... under that one name, or should I list the titles of all 40 songs. I ask because at the 4:00 min mark under the type of work it says titles, not title. Didn't know if I should just list the different titles of each song. Thanks
Hi EqualFoundation, you can name each filing as a collection, for example "Songs Written on Maple Street Collection #1" or whatever you want to call it, and you can put 40 or more songs under that collection name. I suggest you document each song in the collection as part of your filing and keep records of that. Later if you are re-filing anything referencing one of the songs on that previous filing you can just refer to it as an earlier filing. It all serves to help protect you going forward and provide a chain of authorship documentation
Question #1. If I do not own the beat but wrote the lyrics, Recorded vocals, mastered and produced the track which route do I go? PA or SR? Both? Question #2. If I don't own the beat what is the persons label who make the instrumental? Is he/she an Author and do I have to get their information? Question #3. If you licensed the beat how do I go about properly filling the forms out? do you upload the Licensed contract? Asking for the people who shop for their instrumentals on UA-cam.
Hello , I had a question , I used a sample of chords from a soundpack and I talked from the engineer and they said they have no problem if I use their chords , I also have it screenshoted with the full link of the version I arranged using their chords! Now it's a whole song , they said it's not their policy to be in the copyright of any artist and I can copyright the full track under my name! Now the question is that there was page in this video that ask to exclude anything that doesn't belong to you , so should I exclude the music or no?
Yeah Colin unfortunately they limit it to 10 now, I think some people got carried away LOL haven't checked in a few months but the price prob went up too. thanks for your comment Mr. GroovePhonic
Informative video, thanks! Is there any conventional format I should stick to when uploading a transcript of a song? (lyrics & chords- together/separated)?
Hey Asher Co you can do it anyway you want. You can also append multiple documents about the same material so you can do multiple formats. For example: you could have a just a fake-book type sheet music (melody & chord changes) or you could have every part charted out like an orchestral score if that's what you want to do. Or you could have it separately, one sheet for chords, another for lyrics. Best thing would be to include an mp3 of the song as well. Hope it helps ;) Mr GroovePhonic
This video is so much helpful but I have a question I would like to ask you. My dad and I wanted to make sure that this was not a false copyright because we're getting my credit card today and we have requested to copyright my song. So that's why I'm asking you if this is the right way to copyright my song.
so do i do 2 seperate license one for the PR and one for the SR or if i just use the PR it includes the benefits of the SR aswell? please answer thank you
Hi MrGrovePhonic, This is d best video I have seen as well . Thanks cause I really needed guidance. I a a few question thow. If i used beats found on utube and I did the mixing & Mastering and the lyrics; Should I just copyright the lyrics alone ? and only contact the beat maker when I want to publish? Or what about the mixing & mastering part that I did, Can i get something for that? Please give me some advice. i really need it. Thanks in advance. also should I read every, every thing?
Thank you so much for making this educational video. I am still confused on the SR and PA copyright though. So if I completely finished an album, it's mixed and mastered and self produced, I need to do both copyrights to release track. Could I just do PA and register with BMI I steady of doing SR too? Is this the same protection or is the completely different. Please help and give tips on which on I should do please. Thank you!
What I have always wondered about is if you copyright the music and arrangement but then decide to remix or remaster the same work, not changing anything except certain mixing elements like eq and compression, or even actually re-record instruments or vocals, performing them the exact same way musically and arrangement wise, is the new version protected under the original copyright and can it be used for licensing under the original?
Hey Paul, that's my point about the difference between coverage in Form PA versus Form SR. Form PA covers the "underlying work" - in order words, it covers the COMPOSITION - not the recording. So I suggest you file form PA first with the basic composition to get it covered for posterity. Then I recommend when you release your album or single or CD or whatever, you file form SR for Sound Recording and that covers the MASTER that you release so you upload the master for that one or mail them a copy of the CD. Doing it this way makes it so that you can release different versions of the song -- including if any other artists want to release it as a cover -- and the composition will be covered under the original filing. Hope it helps! ;) Mr GroovePhonic
Perhaps it is already somewhere else on this board but, please allow me to cut to the chase: could you please tell me what the maximum amount of song files that one can upload in a single collection? It would be most appreciated.
So, If I have a song, myself with 3 other artists, which we all wrote our own parts, I produced the beat, mixed and mastered the song, how would I go about that?
When you file a PA or SR, do I need to upload lyrics, sheet music etc...? Also, If I file a copyright claim, do I need to list individual song titles along with the album title? Thanks for doing this detailed video. I just learned a lot!!!!
Hi, when you file PA or SR you can choose either sheet music, or audio file (mp3/wav etc) and you can also upload lyrics in a text file. In fact, I encourage you to upload ALL the material associated with your filing in any form including text, audio file and sheet music if you have all of them. The more, the better for your filing Not sure what you mean by filing a claim. But when you register your album or song collection then yes you need to add all the songs. I believe I showed how to do that in the video
Thanks for the great info. Could you tell me is there a limit on the maximum amount of songs you can add under one title when doing it this way? Or is there possibly a limit on how much data file size they allow you?
So they don't send you a paper that say copyright later on by mail? Long time ago they used to. Also, I don't see the ones that I corpyright long time ago which I used physical documents instead of online. I only see the one online which I copyright from online.
Heres from the website - "Registration of a Musical Composition and a Sound Recording with a Single Application Although they are separate works, a musical composition and a sound recording may be registered together on a single application if ownership of the copyrights in both is exactly the same. To register a single claim in both works, complete Form SR. Give information about the author(s) of both the musical composition and the sound recording."
seems like they're saying that if you the author of the song is also the owner of the recording, then you're actually protecting both the recording and the composition of the song. Am I wrong about that?
Auggy Bendoggy you're not the first person to ask about this and I've replied many many times - go through the comments on this thread and you'll learn something
a musical composition and a sound recording may be registered together on a single application if ownership of the copyrights in both is exactly the same. To register a single claim in both works, complete Form SR.
Thank you for your comments Zachery -- perhaps you're right but I've always found that having more protection and really specific protections is going to be better for you as an author in the long run. Plus - probably most writer/producers will want to protect the song separately for when other artists want to cover the song, and also after a record is produced the copyright holder will want to copyright the master itself as a separate SR filing to cover just the specific recording for when it gets played on radio, used in TV and film production or other media. I guess you can make it as simple or as complex as you want, but just taking for granted that you're covered while doing the least legwork possible is not the best option, in my humble opinion.
@MrGroovePhonic, I notice on a few occasions that in support of your views regarding form SR, you always mention completing the form to receive the royalties for the Master when played anywhere. But even if form SR isn't completed (or if copyright is done none at all), the rights owner (from a publishing perspective) will still receive these royalties once the record has been registered with the necessary societies like BMI, SoundExchange, Songtrust, etc.
Hello! How are you doing? I would like to register my 10 songs lyrics and melodies, they are all single songs.. all of them have separate titles, if i upload all them under one file at once, so how should I mention all the titles of each songs and lyrics, would they considering it as an Album? Some songs i made last yr and sum this yrI am little confused, It would save money, do you have any idea?
In amendment to my last question: One screen clearly said to load no more than 12 files at a time and no more that 40 mb and you clearly added more files? So will the system actually allow you to lad more despite what it said? If it does limit you on how many you can do at a time, does it allow you to go back and add more after one batch is done and before the final submitting?
Because all of your music has been in ‘copyrighted’ in that order and name does that mean you have to use the same name and same order when you put it on UA-cam or put it on ITunes?
If you are a producer looking to sell beats, should you only do the performing rights copyright? I understand if you are both a writer and producer you should do the SR as well, but what about just strictly a producer?
to protect your beats - assuming they are not being published as-is by yourself - yes you would use form PA to cover your ideas. Then you make a deal with your purchaser to sign over some or all of the rights, depending on the license you give them.
Amazing video! Thanks so much, it was very helpful and concise and I was able to send my case off just nicely. I had a question regarding uploads to other sites, however. Now that the case is open and awaiting the approval is it ok to release the songs on something like Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Instagram, etc before the case is closed? or would you recommend waiting until you have the official copyright approval to publicize and share your works?
Hi Adriel :) thanks for your comment. You actually have common-law copyright the moment you write the song, the government copyright is actually just a formalization of your common rights of authorship. And it may take time for the copyright office to finalize your copyright. Generally, as long as you've already filed then you're covered. There are other ways you can cover yourself, for example the old school technique of snail mailing yourself a copy on CD and never open the envelope (preserving the Post Office timestamp). In this digital day and age make sure to put your (c)copyright info in the metadata you post with your video or soundcloud or whatever. Just the fact that you're the first one to post it, it's on your account, you've clearly printed your own copyright information in the text data of the song, that all works together to enforce your common law copyright while you're waiting for the US copyright office to finalize your application. Hope this helps :)
MrGroovePhonic MrGroovePhonic that was, in fact, very helpful. I'm a digital illustrator with a passion for music so I managed to put together a few instrumental tracks as well as illustrate my own album cover for a small personal project I'd like to share. I'll provide a link below if you are curious for more but regarding the question: I appreciate you taking the time to respond and thank you once again for the great advice. I'll proceed accordingly and move forward keeping your words in mind :) keep up with the great content, your video is the perfect tool for the group of people who are seeking help in this area and you provide quality expertise to help everyone make their dreams a reality I wish the the utmost best as with your music and career! Link: www.artstation.com/arekusan-meka soundcloud.com/ameka23
+Dave Heffner Yes, you should also file an SR copyright for the final master (the copy you release on CD or digital release) so that you register your rights for the RECORDING (that's what SR is - Sound Recording). PA is just for the underlying work and SR is for the recording. You want to have the recording copyrighted under SR because that's the rights for playing the recording on the air and so forth.
Hello, I am wondering if I need to record my songs professionally to be able to register them or can they be a simple recording on my phone? Also, I do not read music as I play by ear,but do I have to add sheet music or is that optional?
How long does the copyright process take for your case to close after submitting? Also would you recommend copyright BOTH "sound recording" and "work of preforming arts?"
honestly it could take a month or a year, there is no guarantee. I recommend filing a form PA to cover the songs regardless of the recording. Then file a form SR after you have created a sound recording (like a master) that is going to be published and copyright that with form SR
Hey Everyone - please join my Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/1247250525292463/ - I'll answer all questions in the group - MrGroovePhonic
MrGroovePhonic can I publish my music publicly after this form is complete?
MrGroovePhonic please respond asap
It’s really urgent
MrGroovePhonic Thank you for this video! There is one thing I wanted to double check on, I uploaded my demos that I have written all myself of songs. I uploaded MP3 files, and also lyrics of the songs where I verified that I have written all of the music and lyrics. You said that you “CAN” Upload a MP3 file to protect the musical content of your work correct? I wasn’t sure if you said can or cannot, I did this and thought that once I have the final version of everything I will upload it as a sound recording because I know that that’s what I will release.
They changed this in may 2019......85 for one song i apply by paper
Finally, someone to explain in an easy to understand format - the difference between sound recording and work of performing arts. Thank you so much!
I just looked. I think his information is old. If you are copyrighting the song you wrote, AND the recording, use "Sound Recording". On the copyright page is says: "If you are registering BOTH a musical work and the recorded performance of that work, select “Sound Recording”. Likewise, select “Sound Recording” if you are registering BOTH a textual work and the recorded performance of that work.
Note: A musical work (such as music and/or lyrics) or a textual work (such as a lecture, sermon, or book) and the recorded performance of that work may be registered with one application ONLY (i) if the author(s) named in the application contributed to both works, or (ii) if the copyright claimant owns all rights in both works through a written transfer of copyright."
@@AlexWeeks saw the same thing myself! however every video on here including the guy from Berkelee recommends having two separate copyrights SR and PA.
Thank you thank you sooo much for this step by step walk through! Feel like you saved my life and took alot of the fear out of doing this. Just registered a bunch of works and it went just like you said! Feel like a weights been lifted. Thanks again..
Awesome Peaches :) thanks for your comments!
Peaches, at what bitrate did you encode your mp3 files at? The more tracks uploaded the bigger the size, but by decreasing the bitrate from 320 Kbps cd quality to 64 Kbps, one can squeeze more sound files within the 40 MB limit. So, is quality more important, or no that important?
I don't suggest going any lower than 128kbps bit rate on mp3s.
Hi Chrenko, how are you? I would like to register my five songs lyrics and melodies, all of them have independent titles, I mean separate titles, if I record all of them in one cd and upload in one file, so how should I mention my all the titles of the lyrics, I am little confused, It would save my money, do you have any idea. remain grateful if you could let me know, regards.
By Far the Best and most complete tutorial on how to copyright your songs. Brilliant, all the other videos pail in comparison, Thank you!
thanks C.T :)
I'm so glad this is by the government and not a week agency. Hooyah.
Just finished copyrighting my new Extended Play and I must say, you made this process as smooth as possible. God bless and thanks so much for taking the time to upload this video.
God Bless Gavin!
That stuff is as clear as the muddy Mississippi. If you can make it see-through, God bless you.
Thanks Hugh... that was very cool of you to share this information... much appreciated!!
Finally!!! A to the point, clear explanation for the process! Thank you!!!
Thank you so much! Other videos on UA-cam were just trying to get through the process as fast as possible and you actually took the time to properly explain things so I can confidently copyright my work. Again, thank you!
Awesome Josh :)
I wish I would have found this video when I did my first copyright. I may have done it wrong, but it was only 2 songs. Oh well, Thank you very much for the step by step instructions. Now I know what to do. You made my life so much better MrGroovePhonic
One of the best tutorials from beginning to end my friend...Thx.
Great tutorial. I've been putting this off because it seemed too intimidating to attempt on my own. This will be a great time saver. Thank you so much.
I like the way you broke it down, you made it easier for me to register and submit my work as a song writer online, no longer will I submit my work via mail.
now after i saw the video with How to File Copyrights Online - PA, SR & Multiple Works for One Fee, I gave you a big like ok
Thank you so much even though I am a visual art this video has really helped me. I was confused by the multiple song/painting filing. I was reading for awhile but I had to see it order for it to click in my head. Thank you
I just wanna tell Thanks for sharing this information with us.
_Thank You_
The authorship part is what I wanted to know, thank you for explaining that.
It works for Google Chrome now! Just went through the entire process using Chrome and it worked!
yup I think they have upgraded their website to work with several browsers now. Also you can only submit up to ten songs in a filing now
Great, informative video. Thanks! You've pointed out that if you have some songs in your collection that have multiple authors, they need to submitted as a separate filing. What if all the songs in the collection share the same contributors, where one wrote all the lyrics and the other wrote all the music (like Elton John/Bernie Taupin)?
INQURING MINDS WANT TO KNOW!!!!
Excellent step by step tutorial, made the process so much easier. Thank you very much for this wonderful tutorial.
Thanks so much for making it so dam easy. The others do not measure up to you.
Thanks for the video, this was the best one on youtube.
this was very helpful to me ,I just copy written my music and uploaded my tracks ,thanks alot
Great video, learned a lot. However, at what point would you upload lyric files of each song?
Guy you are awesome. You save me a lot of time and a lot of running around. Thanks very clear video.
Even today, this helps a lot, thank you
You explained everything really well…. Thanks Bruh!!!
Thanks for all the help and clarity it was much needed and appreciated
Thank you for this great tutorial. The process prior to viewing your video was confusing. You made it all plain and clear. I got to the checkout, paid the $55, but I had not yet uploaded my songs. Can I leave the site to locate my recordings and return to the uploading section? Can I perform my songs live after I upload them or do I have to wait for 6 weeks? Thanks again.
I can't thank you enough, It is really helpful. You are the man!
I absolutely love this video & definitely appreciate it. My only question is this.. i understand the difference between filing under PA & SR now. But what if you own everything. The beat, melodies, lyrics, & masters of your music. When do we file them as SR once we file them as PA? do we start over & do them as SR or do we let our publishing handle that?
Select Sound Recording if you are registering up to 10 sound recordings.
Note that a musical work (song) and a particular recording of that song are two separate works. A “musical work” consists of music and/or lyrics (either printed or audio). A recording of a particular performance of a song is a “Sound Recording.”
You may be able to register up to 10 recordings and the music, lyrics, or other works that are contained in those recordings. To do so, the author(s) of the recordings and the author(s) of the songs or other works contained on those recordings must be the same person(s), and the authors must be the claimant(s) for both the recordings and the works contained on the recordings.
To register only the sound recordings (in other words to register particular recordings without registering the music and/or lyrics for the songs), select “Sound Recording”.
To register both the sound recordings and the musical (or other) works contained on the sound recordings, select “Sound Recording”.
To register only the musical works, select “Work of the Performing Arts.”
@@audioguru2741 hello but in the video he said PA and you are saying SR if you want to get the copyright for everything!
Hi, I wanted to say this was a excellent video that clearly helps understand each individual part of the form. KUDOS to that !! And it’s much appreciated.
But I did want to say that I have triple verified (music lawyer, website instructions and talked to representative at copyright office) that when someone is the sole author/claimant and wants to register the copyrights of all 3 - musical composition, lyrics and the sound recording, that you can use the SR form. Within that form is a place to say what your the author of and you add lyrics and music there along with the sound recording too obviously.
It actually clearly lets you know this with these instructions on the SR form on the website: “Form SR should be used when the copyright claim is limited to the sound recording itself, **and it may also be used where the same copyright claimant is seeking simultaneous registration of the underlying musical, dramatic, or literary work embodied in the phono-record.”**
So I was just curious if you knew this already and is there a legitimate legal reason why you feel it’s inadaquate ? Or is this just simply something you didn’t know ? I’d like to know before I move forward as it would be so much easier for me to do them all on one form because my songs are all final mastered and done and owned by me. But I don’t want to make a mistake.
Hello bro!!! So what was the conclusion of all this? What is the right way..... Please let me know I have to register today!
Hello, excellent video, thanks so much. One question, why did you upload sound files for WORK OF THE PERFORMING ARTS? shouldn't it be written music in order to protect your lyrics, melodies and chord changes??
I also need to know that as well
Thanks a lot it was the best video I've seen on the process.
I have a lot of questions that remain unclear for me, even after watching the whole video:
Are music compositions considered “published” when uploaded to UA-cam ?
I didn't fully understood the difference (& why it is important) between collection of public works & collection of unpublic works ? If I uploaded to youtube my music- how do I consider it ? public ? why is that important ?
If I already uploaded to youtube my songs, I can register them all as one collection ?
What if you make a mistake, unintentionally, filling the form ? you will not be eligible to get your claims in court ?
If I'm not a company yet, but in the future I will be- can I write there my future company name ?
What about variations of music ? if I make different mixes to every song (mix to youtube, mix to itunes ect...)- should I register every variation again & again ?
BTW- I think there is application that contains PA + SR both.
Thanks for the info !
So far the best step by step video explanation thank you do much. If you don't mind I have a question: I'm from Casablanca Morocco, is the site covering the whole world or just the US? Thank you again.
the whole world can use the US copyright system
Great video, very informative. As a producer, is better to select "PA" or "SR" for type of work when the track is being sent out as a demo to artists and music labels for further use?
You gotta use SR form for beats only
Great video, it makes me feel very confident about the copyright process. I have two questions, though:
1) If I wanted to copyright an album, but some of the songs on it I've already had copyrighted/published, can I/do I still upload those files?
2) This was a demonstration of the Form PA. So after submitting this form, would it be safe to immediately do this process again for Form SR?
Kulton Jackson what's up bro this cangduff I had a couple of questions about you and your music so get at me whenever you can hopefully we could discuss proper business turms
Thank you for this breakdown!!!!
Thanks so much for the step by step process! 😊👍🌷🎵
Thanks for the great tutorial, very helpful
I really appreciate the video!!! Thank you!
What's the differences between text files and lyrics? Please do a brake down of the two .
Great UA-cam video...Questions 1. After copyrighting a collection will there be one copyright form listing each song or will the copyright form just list the collection title? 2. Is there an advantage to copyrighting individually? 3. As an independent music publisher should I register first with ISMN or register the music after copyrighting?
please join my facebook group for more detailed questions like this. link is in my videos
Thank you for your sharing this video, it's useful. and i have a question that other countries companies and people can apply for US copyright? thank you!
Excellent video! Very informative. Thank you
thanks.
nicely done. My son is only 17 and would like to register his composed music. some of his music has some tunes and voices from his keyboard, can i still register his music. Thank you.
Hi Yacine, unless your son is sampling long sections of popular songs into his keyboard, you're probably going to be ok with the sounds you're using in the tracks. To my understanding, keyboard manufacturers issue you the sounds on a 100% royalty-free basis when they pop out a unit to go in a store. Same is true for software synths like Reason etc. - pretty much any collection of digital sounds that you PURCHASE in one way or another, comes with a royalty-free chain of usage rights - seems to me it would be silly any other way. They could probably sue you if they wanted to if the sound banks had been illegally downloaded from some share site, although it would be really rate that they would go after anyone for that these days. I think you'd have to make a lot of money and make it really obvious that you've grabbed a riff that someone else owns, like what happened with Rick James Superfreak and MC Hammer Can't Touch This. There are so many millions and millions of public domain sounds out there now and all with these keywords and software synths, so have fun & I hope this helps!
How long does the copyright office take to close a case for a song? And is it okay to release the song before the case has been closed by the copyright office as long as you have all the steps and payment complete?
Hi really good video. The only question I got is I see you upload the songs but what about the writting the actual composition? i hope hear from you soon thanks
if you mean music notation on paper or lyrics or whatever, you can simply either scan or somehow get them electronically into a file and upload it into the copyright website. Hope this helps Remigo
@@MrGroovePhonic do you have a video on that part by chance?
Thanks 4 this video man got it done with eaze💪
So, when copyrighting your music, you should always be copyrighting it as PR... & SR?
Yes
PR is for the writer. The other is for airplay.
PA for the underlying song itself regardless of who records it or where it is performed anywhere/time in the future. SR is for the specific master that gets airplay or synced or whatever.
PA = who composed this and gets paid for writing the work regardless of which master it is on
SR = who owns this master and gets paid for airplay or sync [just this master or SR]
yes you can do it all at once in an SR. Is it a good idea? I don't think so. You want as many specific rights as you can get
But I think the question is...should we do BOTH ?
So basically its $70 per set of solo submissions
Thanx Hugh for the clear and practical info ^_^
You are most welcome, My pleasure :)
This video was very helpful. Thank you!! :D
Glad it was helpful Kiyona Music
Thank You, Thank You, and Thank You.
Awesome video. Got a question. Did copyright.gov changed few things? Because "register a new claim" nor the first 3 questions aren't there anymore? Also, for the songs which I wrote both music and the lyric I should choose the "work of the performing arts" and not the "sound recording"? You explained it very well on the video but I just couldn't fully understand it. Sorry about that.
I recommend filing a form PA to cover the songs regardless of the recording. Then file a form SR after you have created a sound recording (like a master) that is going to be published and copyright that with form SR
We’re the files that were uploaded audio files? Or the lyrics and sheets music?
Thank you so much for this upload!
Very informative video! I would like to be clear on the title section. I plan on copywriting 40 songs but its not for a CD or album, just songs I created. My question is, Can I just name the title (Songs Ive written) and upload all 40 songs with lyrics etc... under that one name, or should I list the titles of all 40 songs. I ask because at the 4:00 min mark under the type of work it says titles, not title. Didn't know if I should just list the different titles of each song. Thanks
Hi EqualFoundation, you can name each filing as a collection, for example "Songs Written on Maple Street Collection #1" or whatever you want to call it, and you can put 40 or more songs under that collection name. I suggest you document each song in the collection as part of your filing and keep records of that. Later if you are re-filing anything referencing one of the songs on that previous filing you can just refer to it as an earlier filing. It all serves to help protect you going forward and provide a chain of authorship documentation
Question #1. If I do not own the beat but wrote the lyrics, Recorded vocals, mastered and produced the track which route do I go? PA or SR? Both?
Question #2. If I don't own the beat what is the persons label who make the instrumental? Is he/she an Author and do I have to get their information?
Question #3. If you licensed the beat how do I go about properly filling the forms out? do you upload the Licensed contract?
Asking for the people who shop for their instrumentals on UA-cam.
Hello , I had a question , I used a sample of chords from a soundpack and I talked from the engineer and they said they have no problem if I use their chords , I also have it screenshoted with the full link of the version I arranged using their chords! Now it's a whole song , they said it's not their policy to be in the copyright of any artist and I can copyright the full track under my name! Now the question is that there was page in this video that ask to exclude anything that doesn't belong to you , so should I exclude the music or no?
Awesome, bit more expensive and can only copyright 10 songs for 85 bucks now! But Thanks dude! Very Helpful :)
Yeah Colin unfortunately they limit it to 10 now, I think some people got carried away LOL haven't checked in a few months but the price prob went up too. thanks for your comment
Mr. GroovePhonic
Informative video, thanks! Is there any conventional format I should stick to when uploading a transcript of a song? (lyrics & chords- together/separated)?
Hey Asher Co you can do it anyway you want. You can also append multiple documents about the same material so you can do multiple formats. For example: you could have a just a fake-book type sheet music (melody & chord changes) or you could have every part charted out like an orchestral score if that's what you want to do. Or you could have it separately, one sheet for chords, another for lyrics. Best thing would be to include an mp3 of the song as well.
Hope it helps ;) Mr GroovePhonic
Thank you for the lesson. I've been trying for days but keep running into problems.
This video is so much helpful but I have a question I would like to ask you. My dad and I wanted to make sure that this was not a false copyright because we're getting my credit card today and we have requested to copyright my song. So that's why I'm asking you if this is the right way to copyright my song.
I want to thaaaaaaaank so much for this video it was informative.. bc I was completely lost lol trying to do it on my own
So should you do both sr and pa for a writer/producer ... i wrote made the beat and recorded the tracks at home.
so do i do 2 seperate license one for the PR and one for the SR or if i just use the PR it includes the benefits of the SR aswell? please answer thank you
Hi MrGrovePhonic, This is d best video I have seen as well . Thanks cause I really needed guidance. I a a few question thow. If i used beats found on utube and I did the mixing & Mastering and the lyrics; Should I just copyright the lyrics alone ? and only contact the beat maker when I want to publish? Or what about the mixing & mastering part that I did, Can i get something for that? Please give me some advice. i really need it. Thanks in advance. also should I read every, every thing?
Thank you so much for making this educational video. I am still confused on the SR and PA copyright though. So if I completely finished an album, it's mixed and mastered and self produced, I need to do both copyrights to release track. Could I just do PA and register with BMI I steady of doing SR too? Is this the same protection or is the completely different. Please help and give tips on which on I should do please. Thank you!
What I have always wondered about is if you copyright the music and arrangement but then decide to remix or remaster the same work, not changing anything except certain mixing elements like eq and compression, or even actually re-record instruments or vocals, performing them the exact same way musically and arrangement wise, is the new version protected under the original copyright and can it be used for licensing under the original?
Hey Paul, that's my point about the difference between coverage in Form PA versus Form SR. Form PA covers the "underlying work" - in order words, it covers the COMPOSITION - not the recording. So I suggest you file form PA first with the basic composition to get it covered for posterity.
Then I recommend when you release your album or single or CD or whatever, you file form SR for Sound Recording and that covers the MASTER that you release so you upload the master for that one or mail them a copy of the CD.
Doing it this way makes it so that you can release different versions of the song -- including if any other artists want to release it as a cover -- and the composition will be covered under the original filing.
Hope it helps! ;) Mr GroovePhonic
Hey, when you uploaded those files, you just uploaded mp3s or did you also upload lyrics and sheet music?
you can upload mp3s or wavs and you can also upload anything you want like lyrics, cover art or whatever.
@@MrGroovePhonic what if my music is on Spotify and I want to copyright those?
@@MrGroovePhonic does that count as one of the 12 files you are allowed to upload?
Perhaps it is already somewhere else on this board but, please allow me to cut to the chase: could you please tell me what the maximum amount of song files that one can upload in a single collection? It would be most appreciated.
So, If I have a song, myself with 3 other artists, which we all wrote our own parts, I produced the beat, mixed and mastered the song, how would I go about that?
Very helpful and useful. Thank you very much!
When you file a PA or SR, do I need to upload lyrics, sheet music etc...? Also, If I file a copyright claim, do I need to list individual song titles along with the album title? Thanks for doing this detailed video. I just learned a lot!!!!
Hi, when you file PA or SR you can choose either sheet music, or audio file (mp3/wav etc) and you can also upload lyrics in a text file. In fact, I encourage you to upload ALL the material associated with your filing in any form including text, audio file and sheet music if you have all of them. The more, the better for your filing
Not sure what you mean by filing a claim. But when you register your album or song collection then yes you need to add all the songs. I believe I showed how to do that in the video
Thanks for the great info. Could you tell me is there a limit on the maximum amount of songs you can add under one title when doing it this way? Or is there possibly a limit on how much data file size they allow you?
So they don't send you a paper that say copyright later on by mail? Long time ago they used to.
Also, I don't see the ones that I corpyright long time ago which I used physical documents instead of online. I only see the one online which I copyright from online.
This video is awesomeness!!!! Thank you
Heres from the website - "Registration of a Musical Composition and a Sound Recording with a Single Application
Although they are separate works, a musical composition and a sound recording may be registered together on a single application if ownership of the copyrights in both is exactly the same. To register a single claim in both works, complete Form SR. Give information about the author(s) of both the musical composition and the sound recording."
seems like they're saying that if you the author of the song is also the owner of the recording, then you're actually protecting both the recording and the composition of the song. Am I wrong about that?
Auggy Bendoggy you're not the first person to ask about this and I've replied many many times - go through the comments on this thread and you'll learn something
Thank you. This saved me valuable time
a musical composition and a sound recording may be registered together on a single application if ownership of the copyrights in both is exactly the same. To register a single claim in both works, complete Form SR.
Thank you for your comments Zachery -- perhaps you're right but I've always found that having more protection and really specific protections is going to be better for you as an author in the long run. Plus - probably most writer/producers will want to protect the song separately for when other artists want to cover the song, and also after a record is produced the copyright holder will want to copyright the master itself as a separate SR filing to cover just the specific recording for when it gets played on radio, used in TV and film production or other media. I guess you can make it as simple or as complex as you want, but just taking for granted that you're covered while doing the least legwork possible is not the best option, in my humble opinion.
@MrGroovePhonic, I notice on a few occasions that in support of your views regarding form SR, you always mention completing the form to receive the royalties for the Master when played anywhere. But even if form SR isn't completed (or if copyright is done none at all), the rights owner (from a publishing perspective) will still receive these royalties once the record has been registered with the necessary societies like BMI, SoundExchange, Songtrust, etc.
Is it too late to include lyrics sheets for my album if I already uploaded and submitted my case? Also is it necessary?
Hello! How are you doing? I would like to register my 10 songs lyrics and melodies, they are all single songs.. all of them have separate titles, if i upload all them under one file at once, so how should I mention all the titles of each songs and lyrics, would they considering it as an Album? Some songs i made last yr and sum this yrI am little confused, It would save money, do you have any idea?
In amendment to my last question: One screen clearly said to load no more than 12 files at a time and no more that 40 mb and you clearly added more files? So will the system actually allow you to lad more despite what it said? If it does limit you on how many you can do at a time, does it allow you to go back and add more after one batch is done and before the final submitting?
Because all of your music has been in ‘copyrighted’ in that order and name does that mean you have to use the same name and same order when you put it on UA-cam or put it on ITunes?
Thank you for this video!!! Video was amazing
If you are a producer looking to sell beats, should you only do the performing rights copyright? I understand if you are both a writer and producer you should do the SR as well, but what about just strictly a producer?
to protect your beats - assuming they are not being published as-is by yourself - yes you would use form PA to cover your ideas. Then you make a deal with your purchaser to sign over some or all of the rights, depending on the license you give them.
So... will it allow you to copyright it as both a PA and an SR?
Amazing video! Thanks so much, it was very helpful and concise and I was able to send my case off just nicely. I had a question regarding uploads to other sites, however. Now that the case is open and awaiting the approval is it ok to release the songs on something like Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Instagram, etc before the case is closed? or would you recommend waiting until you have the official copyright approval to publicize and share your works?
Hi Adriel :) thanks for your comment. You actually have common-law copyright the moment you write the song, the government copyright is actually just a formalization of your common rights of authorship. And it may take time for the copyright office to finalize your copyright. Generally, as long as you've already filed then you're covered. There are other ways you can cover yourself, for example the old school technique of snail mailing yourself a copy on CD and never open the envelope (preserving the Post Office timestamp). In this digital day and age make sure to put your (c)copyright info in the metadata you post with your video or soundcloud or whatever. Just the fact that you're the first one to post it, it's on your account, you've clearly printed your own copyright information in the text data of the song, that all works together to enforce your common law copyright while you're waiting for the US copyright office to finalize your application. Hope this helps :)
MrGroovePhonic MrGroovePhonic that was, in fact, very helpful. I'm a digital illustrator with a passion for music so I managed to put together a few instrumental tracks as well as illustrate my own album cover for a small personal project I'd like to share. I'll provide a link below if you are curious for more but regarding the question: I appreciate you taking the time to respond and thank you once again for the great advice. I'll proceed accordingly and move forward keeping your words in mind :) keep up with the great content, your video is the perfect tool for the group of people who are seeking help in this area and you provide quality expertise to help everyone make their dreams a reality I wish the the utmost best as with your music and career!
Link:
www.artstation.com/arekusan-meka
soundcloud.com/ameka23
So after you do the SE copyright, do you just go back n and do the other one ?
You submitted form PA in your video. Does one have to also submit form SR and another payment? Thanks.
+Dave Heffner Yes, you should also file an SR copyright for the final master (the copy you release on CD or digital release) so that you register your rights for the RECORDING (that's what SR is - Sound Recording). PA is just for the underlying work and SR is for the recording. You want to have the recording copyrighted under SR because that's the rights for playing the recording on the air and so forth.
+MrGroovePhonic I've heard that you can fill out one SR form and on that form it asks you if you want to also copyright the music and melody as well.
Hello, I am wondering if I need to record my songs professionally to be able to register them or can they be a simple recording on my phone? Also, I do not read music as I play by ear,but do I have to add sheet music or is that optional?
just a demo recording that shows the composition clearly. Sheet music is optional nowadays
if you file for a Performing rights copyright, do you also need to file for a sound recording copyright as well?
How do I copyright an entire art course that consists of 269 art instruction videos.
How long does the copyright process take for your case to close after submitting? Also would you recommend copyright BOTH "sound recording" and "work of preforming arts?"
honestly it could take a month or a year, there is no guarantee. I recommend filing a form PA to cover the songs regardless of the recording. Then file a form SR after you have created a sound recording (like a master) that is going to be published and copyright that with form SR
@@MrGroovePhonic Thanks, in that case I will need to pay twice for each form I send (PA & SR)?
@@asherco270 each time you file it requires a payment
awesome...very helpful...thank YOU !!
Question: If I registered it unpublished but then went and loaded up to Distrokid and got the ISRC number can I go back and put it in?
can you copyright your album cover art at the same time or did you have to do it seperately?