public music

Author
dan_t
Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 21
  • Joined: 2011/01/21 20:00:30
  • Status: offline
2011/02/04 17:43:36 (permalink)

public music

Hey guys, I was wondering about a couple of things.
One is, do any of you copyright your music? I, like most people, am not rich and am just curious on if this is expensive.
I have heard of the "poor boy's patent", but I don't know if that would be totally reliable.
 
The second is about rewriting songs. I've googled this before and read about it, but didn't put it in my favorites and can't find it again.
From what I understood you couldn't even legally record a song for just your friends and family to listen to, much less put it on a website for other people to listen to.
I think it said that you are charged 9 cents per download even if you don't charge anything. I don't know if the source I got it from was reliable or not.
#1

6 Replies Related Threads

    Guitarhacker
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 24398
    • Joined: 2007/12/07 12:51:18
    • Location: NC
    • Status: offline
    Re:public music 2011/02/04 19:52:49 (permalink)
    Copyrights.... yeah, if you record a cover song you are required by law to pay licensing and royalties. You can do this ALL at one website  www.harryfox.com click on mechanical license and follow the directions. It costs 9.1 cent per copy planned for sale.   It's all there. And that's for cover tunes that are NOT public domain.

    Public domain is free to record as long as you don't directly copy someone else's version exactly.

    Copyright on your stuff. Legally, it is copyrighted the moment you record it. However, it is to your advantage to register that copyright legally.

    A US copyright IS the way to go but at $45 a pop it is expensive and from what I hear takes a year now to get the paperwork back. You can also include a bunch of songs in that one copyright as a collection for the same fee.

    DO NOT rely on a "poorman's" copyright. Certified mail to yourself...... it will not hold up in court.

    My argument: As hard as it is to get a song recorded by someone big, there is such a small chance that someone will steal your song.... you can be relatively sure that no one will steal it. So, if your recoring for fun, posting it for friends, burning a few CD's for friends..... I would not worry about a copyright....unless you really want to spend the money.

    I write quite a bit of music AND I am sending it out to artists and production libraries so I do need to protect it....kind of. So I use a 3rd party service called SONGUARD. It is bundled with Masterwriter songwriting software and allows me to send , basically unlimited songs & lyrics, to a secure server that  date stamps it and sends me a receipt. I send the songs out with a copyright notice.

    The companies I am dealing with are all by screened referral only. In other words, reputable publishers and production libraries.  Actually, they prefer the songs to be NON-Copyrighted and NON-PRO registered music. They will register the song with the copyright office and the PRO in their name paying all the costs for you. That is the way it works for songwriters. The contract I sign with them allows them to (own) control the song while I retain a financial interest and writing credits in the song forever.

    The whole point is...write your songs, find a cheap 3rd party way to prove you wrote the song and when..... and don't worry too much about someone stealing it.

    My website & music: www.herbhartley.com

    MC4/5/6/X1e.c, on a Custom DAW   
    Focusrite Firewire Saffire Interface


    BMI/NSAI

    "Just as the blade chooses the warrior, so too, the song chooses the writer 
    #2
    dan_t
    Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 21
    • Joined: 2011/01/21 20:00:30
    • Status: offline
    Re:public music 2011/02/04 22:38:30 (permalink)
    How do you know if a song is public domain?
    #3
    dan_t
    Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 21
    • Joined: 2011/01/21 20:00:30
    • Status: offline
    Re:public music 2011/02/04 22:44:22 (permalink)
    A better question may be how do you find out if a song is copyrighted?
    #4
    57Gregy
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 14404
    • Joined: 2004/05/31 17:04:17
    • Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
    • Status: offline
    Re:public music 2011/02/05 00:40:21 (permalink)
    In the copyright notice it will read Public Domain or Traditional.
    Assume everything else is copyrighted.
    I recently covered a Neil Young song. No one is beating my door down demanding I pay for it. Yet.

    Greg 
    I am selling my MIM Fender Stratocaster HSS, red and black. PM for more details.

    Music Creator 2003, MC Pro 24, SONAR Home Studio 6 XL, SONAR  X3e, CbB, Focusrite Saffire, not enough space.
    Everything is better with pie. 

    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=609446
    http://www.reverbnation.com/#!/gregfields 
    #5
    Beagle
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 50621
    • Joined: 2006/03/29 11:03:12
    • Location: Fort Worth, TX
    • Status: offline
    Re:public music 2011/02/05 08:26:45 (permalink)
    57Gregy


    In the copyright notice it will read Public Domain or Traditional.
    Assume everything else is copyrighted.
    I recently covered a Neil Young song. No one is beating my door down demanding I pay for it. Yet.

    I'm tellin'!
     
    public domain - here are some resources to find out if it's PD or not:
    http://www.pdinfo.com/list.php
     
    that website is not necessarily an "authority" and is not necessarily "all inclusive" (just a disclaimer to keep them from getting into trouble)
     
    also, you have to make sure that the VERSION you are using for your initial base of the song is the PD version and not a copyrighted version.  for example, "Scarborough Fair" is a PD song.  However, Simon & Garfunkle's version is not.  it is a copyrighted song.  if you use their version (with the counter-melody) then you are violating copyrights.  if you use the ORIGINAL (without the counter-melody) then you are OK.  you can add your own counter melody to SF if you want, but it must be different enough from S&G's to be legal.

    http://soundcloud.com/beaglesound/sets/featured-songs-1
    i7, 16G DDR3, Win10x64, MOTU Ultralite Hybrid MK3
    Yamaha MOXF6, Hammond XK3c, other stuff.
    #6
    Guitarhacker
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 24398
    • Joined: 2007/12/07 12:51:18
    • Location: NC
    • Status: offline
    Re:public music 2011/02/05 09:26:54 (permalink)
    generally if it's more than 75 years old its public domain. The site Beagle posted is a good place to look. I'm thinking Harry Fox Agency can also get that info for you.

    Anything written in the 1800's or earlier is a safe bet to be public domain.  Some (not many) writers of modern music also release their music to the public domain immediately.

    The way I see it.... you have 3 options.

    Pay licensing, use PD songs, or write originals.


    My website & music: www.herbhartley.com

    MC4/5/6/X1e.c, on a Custom DAW   
    Focusrite Firewire Saffire Interface


    BMI/NSAI

    "Just as the blade chooses the warrior, so too, the song chooses the writer 
    #7
    Jump to:
    © 2024 APG vNext Commercial Version 5.1