Hello All-
 
For those of you who copyright your songs with the US Copyright office using the eCO (electronic copyright):
 
If you are like me and register a single song as two separate files that need to be uploaded to the government server - The audio file (e.g. mysong.mp3) and also the sheet music, which contains notes, chord symbols and lyrics (e.g. mysong.pdf) - Do you use the Standard or Single application? I have read the criteria, and for the life of me cannot figure out which I should use. The difference in fee is $35 vs $55. I usually register a bunch of songs at one time, but for the first time I have only one I want to register.
 
The tune and lyrics are all my original, single author, never published.
 
I actually emailed them (US Copyright Office) this question and they replied 'Use standard application'...But I find that hard to believe, and am going to ask again, I think by phone this time...My email may have been vague. However, I thought that it would be interesting to ask the Songs forum folks what their experience was with this.
 
Thanks much.
 

I stopped registering songs with the USLOC copyright office years ago.
 
The fact is, no one is likely to steal your song. It's extremely hard to even get people to listen.  There's also some 3rd party date of creation services such as Songuard which are much less costly if you really need to have a 3rd party vouch for you. Not counting the fact that all computer files are dated, and servers online record the dates you upload the file to it....   And my main reason for not using the LOC is that if you are an artist, your label should pick up that cost for you, and if you're a song writer as I am, the publisher who signs the song will pay to have it copyrighted in his company name.  
 
So no, I don't use the LOC and I sleep well at night. I used to be paranoid about that stuff until I learn the things I just pointed out.  However, if you have the money and wish to copyright everything so you can sleep better, by all means, disregard the preceding paragraph and continue to register your material with the USLOC. 
 
I would register a copyright with the LOC IF I was going to release an album on my own.  Beyond that, no.

So.. to answer the question.  Neither.

Guitarhacker-
 
My paranoia is not so much that someone will steal my song...Kind of the opposite: I would never want to be accused of stealing someone else's song, which may or may not have been lifted from me. That would be depressing. I wrote a song years ago that begins just like the Disney "Whole New World" theme for Aladdin, but I preceded by about 10 years and never registered.  Now, I don't feel like I can offer it up for folks to listen to. The only consolation is that that opening also sounds just like "I Left My Heart In San Francisco", which came before either!
 
But back to the subject: Anyone using eCO single application for audio and sheet music?