Copyrighting your own music. I was wondering if those of you who have tracks released if you ever copyrighted your tracks before sending them out to labels and what not? |
Efrain Scharr
13.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by Coldfuzion
Yeah, that's the route i'm going to take for sure. $35 to protect hours of my work is no problem at all. Curious though, why not one at a time Lance?
for the purpose of not spending $35 all the time... I have 300+ tracks out under my name as well as under multiple monikers... that $35 adds up. I stopped copyrighting after a while, it becomes pointless after a while. I have had sounds stolen and parts of tracks taken from me on multiple occasions. No one is making millions off of selling techno music, so copyrighting my music just is pointless to me now. I have had people send me demos for one of my labels and the demo will contain a piece from a track I did under one of my many other names... I sent them back the track and told them that I was the artist who made the track they robbed the sample from and to go sell their shit someplace else. I got no response.
But in the beginning I was very adamant about copyrighting all my music.. |
Danae Dumler
13.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by Calzone
This.
You need to prove original ownership, having a box with a cd in it does none of this. In court that would probably be rendered inadmissible. No judge is going to want to hear about how you mailed a box to yourself. Backup your stems and files.
Hate to break it to you guys, but no judge is going to want to sort through your stems and files either. And don't expect to get a judge who knows the first thing about digital music production. If it got to that point, have the money to hire a lawyer who can hire an expert witness to come in and explain what a "stem" is. Or pay $35 now for a piece of paper that is the automatic trump card in any case that comes up - if you registered the copyright and the other side didn't, the judge isn't going to care what's on the CD and it will take the other side a highly paid lawyer to convince him/her to look. It's not necessarily fair but it's the way the system is likely to work, at least in the US. |
Libbie Orion
12.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by Coldfuzion
Tarekith - Check your email!
why? did you send him a thumdrive with music on it produced by you?
Im not sure what you might believe but Tarekith does NOT work for the copyrighting office AHHAHAHAHHA
Just kidding
i had to do that |
Myrta Neweii
12.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by Tarekith
It's totally a myth, doesn't prove a single thing except you know how to mail a package. As mentioned, you automatically own the copyright to anything you create. The best way to prove this should you need to is with the original DAW project files you used when writing the song. Just make sure you have good backups of those.
This.
You need to prove original ownership, having a box with a cd in it does none of this. In court that would probably be rendered inadmissible. No judge is going to want to hear about how you mailed a box to yourself. Backup your stems and files. |
Danae Dumler
12.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by Coldfuzion
Frigin awesome.
Awesome, but kind of a myth. This won't help you much if someone steals your work; you'll be a lot better off spending the $35 to register the copyright with the US Copyright Office, which will be the "trump card" in a court if the issue comes up. Instructions here http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-register.html ... obviously this only applies to US Copyright law. And the first poster is right, you really don't need to do anything by law -- once you produce the work it is yours. But if you ever have to defend your ownership you're much better off having the registration in hand over trying to prove it with a postmark. |
Evalyn Voges
12.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by Coldfuzion
Frigin awesome. Didn't even believe about it. Awesome solution !
Thanks!
FYI, I believe this isn't a 100% solution, but merely strengthens a case, should it go to court. |
Carlee Pickard
11.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by muffintop
Mail a hardcopy to yourself (cd tape thumbdrive) and don't open the package. The postmark should be enough to protect you if issues should arise.
It is important to leave the package closed!
Frigin awesome. Didn't even believe about it. Awesome solution !
Thanks! |
Carlee Pickard
10.08.2013 | I was wondering if those of you who have tracks released if you ever copyrighted your tracks before sending them out to labels and what not? |
Efrain Scharr
13.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by Coldfuzion
Yeah, that's the route i'm going to take for sure. $35 to protect hours of my work is no problem at all. Curious though, why not one at a time Lance?
for the purpose of not spending $35 all the time... I have 300+ tracks out under my name as well as under multiple monikers... that $35 adds up. I stopped copyrighting after a while, it becomes pointless after a while. I have had sounds stolen and parts of tracks taken from me on multiple occasions. No one is making millions off of selling techno music, so copyrighting my music just is pointless to me now. I have had people send me demos for one of my labels and the demo will contain a piece from a track I did under one of my many other names... I sent them back the track and told them that I was the artist who made the track they robbed the sample from and to go sell their shit someplace else. I got no response.
But in the beginning I was very adamant about copyrighting all my music.. |
Carlee Pickard
13.08.2013 | Yeah, that's the route i'm going to take for sure. $35 to protect hours of my work is no problem at all. Curious though, why not one at a time Lance? |
Efrain Scharr
14.08.2013 | Copyright your music, and pay the money to do so... You should be sending a grouping of tracks as well, not just one at a time. |
Danae Dumler
13.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by Calzone
This.
You need to prove original ownership, having a box with a cd in it does none of this. In court that would probably be rendered inadmissible. No judge is going to want to hear about how you mailed a box to yourself. Backup your stems and files.
Hate to break it to you guys, but no judge is going to want to sort through your stems and files either. And don't expect to get a judge who knows the first thing about digital music production. If it got to that point, have the money to hire a lawyer who can hire an expert witness to come in and explain what a "stem" is. Or pay $35 now for a piece of paper that is the automatic trump card in any case that comes up - if you registered the copyright and the other side didn't, the judge isn't going to care what's on the CD and it will take the other side a highly paid lawyer to convince him/her to look. It's not necessarily fair but it's the way the system is likely to work, at least in the US. |
Libbie Orion
12.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by Coldfuzion
Tarekith - Check your email!
why? did you send him a thumdrive with music on it produced by you?
Im not sure what you might believe but Tarekith does NOT work for the copyrighting office AHHAHAHAHHA
Just kidding
i had to do that |
Carlee Pickard
12.08.2013 | Ahh awesome, i'm glad I got that cleared up. Thanks guys!
Tarekith - Check your email! |
Myrta Neweii
12.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by Tarekith
It's totally a myth, doesn't prove a single thing except you know how to mail a package. As mentioned, you automatically own the copyright to anything you create. The best way to prove this should you need to is with the original DAW project files you used when writing the song. Just make sure you have good backups of those.
This.
You need to prove original ownership, having a box with a cd in it does none of this. In court that would probably be rendered inadmissible. No judge is going to want to hear about how you mailed a box to yourself. Backup your stems and files. |
Monserrate Rupnow
12.08.2013 | It's totally a myth, doesn't prove a single thing except you know how to mail a package. As mentioned, you automatically own the copyright to anything you create. The best way to prove this should you need to is with the original DAW project files you used when writing the song. Just make sure you have good backups of those. |
Danae Dumler
12.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by Coldfuzion
Frigin awesome.
Awesome, but kind of a myth. This won't help you much if someone steals your work; you'll be a lot better off spending the $35 to register the copyright with the US Copyright Office, which will be the "trump card" in a court if the issue comes up. Instructions here http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-register.html ... obviously this only applies to US Copyright law. And the first poster is right, you really don't need to do anything by law -- once you produce the work it is yours. But if you ever have to defend your ownership you're much better off having the registration in hand over trying to prove it with a postmark. |
Evalyn Voges
12.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by Coldfuzion
Frigin awesome. Didn't even believe about it. Awesome solution !
Thanks!
FYI, I believe this isn't a 100% solution, but merely strengthens a case, should it go to court. |
Carlee Pickard
11.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by muffintop
Mail a hardcopy to yourself (cd tape thumbdrive) and don't open the package. The postmark should be enough to protect you if issues should arise.
It is important to leave the package closed!
Frigin awesome. Didn't even believe about it. Awesome solution !
Thanks! |
Nana Mohs
11.08.2013 | Mail a hardcopy to yourself (cd tape thumbdrive) and don't open the package. The postmark should be enough to protect you if issues should arise.
It is important to leave the package closed! |
Carlee Pickard
11.08.2013 | Is that just in the UK? I know it's pretty standard to send your music out to mastering houses, as well as labels online, but i'm wondering how I can protect my music from being stolen, used &/or plagiarized. When you say registering it Dan, you mean with like the govt right? In that case that's exactly what i'm talking about. |
Evalyn Voges
10.08.2013 | Copyright is automatic. The moment you produce something you have rights over it. Are you talking about registering it? |
