How to Copyright Part 2 - Uploading Lyrics, Copyright for Free, Publishing & More
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 พ.ย. 2021
- Hey! This is the part two to my original video "How to Copyright Songs" which is at this link if you want to watch: • How To Copyright a Son...
Otherwise this video covers more questions that you guys had asked in the comment section of my previous vid! If you want musical advice videos or like watching original music/covers please follow for more ;)
Links mentioned in the video:
Help with limitation of claims: www.copyright.gov/eco/help-li...
How to copyright for Free wikihow: www.wikihow.com/Copyright-a-S....
Copyright Essentials: What every Musician should know: blog.sonicbids.com/copyright-... - เพลง
With so many new questions I’m think of doing a final update photo to cover some new info I’ve found on my own and from you guys alike! Also a little section to show how to use their contact form since they are actually very helpful! ❤
super helpful cut to info and deets n disclaimer. u go gurl!
Tkuuuu 🥰🙌🙌🙈
Excellent lesson
Congratulations on your engagement, marriage, and pregnancy!!! I just subscribed and I thank you kindly for this video. 😘 Day
Thank you!! Thanks for subbing too 🥰🙏🙏
This video was so helpful. Thank you so much!
You’re welcome! ☺️🙌🙌
This was very helpful. I had to go back and do some things over for a group of songs. Sidenote: music supervisors will not pick up your song for sync placement if it’s not copyrighted or copyrighted correctly. I had to learn the hard way.
Oh wow I didn’t know that! Thanks for comment hope other people see too ❤️
@@HaleyGraves yep, no worries.
Sidenote, we don’t care
@@KokoKyssed1 GTFOH. I don’t care that you don’t care.
Thank you so much for the information; however; what if I just have written lyrics (word doc) to submit.....for I don't have the music yet, so I want to protect my lyrics; therefore, how can I copyright it without music, so when I hire a musician, then I want to resubmit a final copyright. Is this possible?
Excellent video
ayley I have a question. I wrote a song using a beat I bought the Unlimited rights to.
I did not create the beat, and at the same time, I bought the Unlimited beat to the beat and have a signed contract stating so from the producer of the beat.
My question is should I only copyright the my lyrics and my melody, or can I do the sound recording and the lyrics and music altogether,
and if so, do I have to include the name of the producer of the beat? and where and how?
Congratulations on all of your new changes in life! I appreciate your information, but I have another question. I wrote a song many years ago, the lyrics and melody, but I did not write down the music with the notes. I could do this, but I’m wondering if I have to. Also, with sending an MP3 recording, does it have to be accompanied by an instrument or can it be acapella? I wrote the lyrics and the music and my friend and I have performed it in public. Does that mean that it has been published?
My friend played guitar accompaniment, but I did all the other work. Does that matter? Also, it was several years ago.
Hi, I just called las week from my country via phone to the Copyright office and I Asked if I can upload and acapella because the sound recording was not ready yet.....The answer was YES
Hi Halye...can you go through the steps of registering a group instead of just single?
Hey! I’ll look at doing a quick video on this next but there’s not much difference besides putting in multiple titles and uploading multiple files! 😊☺️
Thanks!
Many thanks for the very helpful information, Haley. May I ask you what work type should I use while registering lyrics only?
Best regards,
Arie.
Work of the Performing Arts
Can you submit lyrics from a Google document? Also is there a certain format they should be in? Like should I label the chorus, verse, ect. Should I separate lyrics into lines or just put each word right after the other?
How would you upload the album title pertaining to each song you copyright ? Great video by the way. I’m getting to do this and this helped.
There’s options to upload multiple or single tracks! There’s a standard application and the a group application :) I think there’s somewhere to put the album title in the group on though I haven’t done it in quite awhile
Thank you
first off congrats on the new baby that's about 1yo/1/2 by now and the spouse as a indy creator i sometimes find it confusing so i came across ur video and need some guidance. real quick (i lease beats) and i do all the M&M recording ect.. and i also have multiple singles to copyright but i confuse on weather i should do a sound recording or preforming cuz I don't fully out right own the beat so what do u suggest and all the lyric i wrote as well thanks for ur extended moment 💛
Note: copyright of how the song was written and the lyrics is totally separate from the actual “sound recording”
Thank you for this video! It was so helpful! If I just want to copyright my lyrics for the time being (Just for some protection as I start posting on social media, not ready to copyright the music or melody yet, and the lyrics are the part I am most concerned about protecting).. should I still be copyrighting it under the "Sound recordings" category, or is there a different category I should use? And can I go back and copyright it again once I have the music sorted?
Hey! Yeah if you wanted you could copy right it under musical compositions not sound recordings! I’ve got to do another video on this because they’re constantly changing and I’ve learned so much more from trying to answer peoples questions lol! I had originally started out with just sound recordings cause that’s what I’d learned from my dad 😁👍
@@HaleyGraves Thank you so much! You're amazing!
Came here to ask the same question. How did it go with you copywriting your lyrics?
Wanted to know the same thing How did it go?
Very helpful info. But my question is, let say I want to register 4 songs and 2 of them I have sound recordings and lyrics and the other 2 only lyrics can I still register them as a group under sound recording?
Amazing video! Makes it less intimidating to copyright my first song. I wrote lyrics to a song and created a melody for it, no instruments, no beats, just my voice. Would I copyright using "Sound Recording" or "Lyrics"? Or do I do both? Thank you so much in advance for your help and guidance.
I think if it’s a sound recording you can file sound recording. That’s what I’ve done in the past too, though they have a contact form if you wanna be extra sure! And thank you! Yeah it was a crazy process for me too so I made the video to try to help others 🥹 though I’m no expert or lawyer myself lmao
How do you look up a song that I have copy written in the past?
Excellent information. Thank you! I only write lyrics and collaborate with musicians that write the music. I would like to copyright my lyrics for myself (as well as other poetry). Can I do that, or does it need to be done along with the music with the musician? Thank you.
Poetry would be Literary Work & Lyrics would be Work of the Performing Arts
Congratulations on the little one 🎉
Thank you 🥰❤️
I saved this video for me to not forget it in the future because I will probably need it again.
Thank you.
No problem! I’m glad it’s useful! ☺️
Question...Not to be nosy but Im curious to know... what is in the sound recording as far as instruments, song key, etc....and does that affect the outcome of the copyright as far as how the song is published? Also, what is the best format to protect your lyrics as a word document? Thanks!!
Hey! That’s a good question, I don’t think the instruments etc. makes a huge deal unless your really mimicking a very specific tune but that would have to be really copied and not just sampling I think. I would reach out to a lawyer for sure but that’s just my thought 😌
My questions is if you made the beat/played the instruments to your songs, do you seperately copyright the beat/instrumental or is it automatically copy written with your sound recording?
Hope all went well with the baby!
Here's my question, I'm old, and kinda dense, and have a little bit of attention deficit disorder going on, and don't understand the whole process very well so forgive me if I'm a little slow. Anyhow, Is there a difference between copyrighting rights for a song and publishing rights for the song? I keep hearing people talking about publisher rights as though they are different from copyright rights, and that confuses me? In other words, if I write the lyrics in my word document, and compose the notes or chords onto that word doc, record the song on an Mp3, and submit it to the copyright office, do I have to also somehow get publisher rights? (What are Publisher rights anyways).
Please help! Do the lyrics files need to be titled the same as the song file title? Or can you add "lyrics" to the end of the file name?
Should I use the label I own as the claimant? Should I just use my name? Or should I add both my name and label?
Hi Haley,
So once I complete the registration on the site the song is registered, but to receive the certification I have to wait months?
What is Limitations of Claim?
how do you know if the song you registered went through?
Yes, I need to know how to format it to upload to the copyright sight. I have lyrics & melody recorded, just my voice & guitar. It is only recorded in “voice memos” on iPhone. I’ve never done anything other than that so idk anything about mp3 or wav or anything. Can you help? Thank you 💕
Can you submit an audio recording when copyrighting a music composition or does it have to be transcribed into sheet music? (Note: I'm not talking about copyrighting a sound recording, I want to copyright the underlying musical composition. I would like to own the copyright for both the music composition and the sound recording, me being the author of both, but if I were to only copyright the music composition, are you allowed to use a sound recording to do that, or does it have to be transcribed into sheet music?)
I don't understand your question so much, Sorry I have a comprehension problem. So if this is a duplicate of your original question please disregard my additional question. But I watched another video where the author said he uploaded the audio recording and he then uploaded the lyrics along with the (something called tab ) of the music composition. I can provide the lyrics but I don't know how to write the tab of the music. Will just the lyrics along with an MP3 file of recording of the song do ? Thanks so very much in advance.
Edit to say this question is for everyone not just the op of this post Thanks again.
I lved off the grid for nearly 40 years and I struggle with technology. When you skip steps it leaves me stuck. Couldn’t get help from the local college or library. How much does it cost. And when you say
“Upload “ does it have to be a jbg file?
Do I receive a file registration number when I register my song or do I get it when I get my approval?
Hi all! Can someone tell me what category I would use to submit sheet music and lyrics ? Performing arts? And if I were to upload a recording and sheet music and lyrics that would be under sound recording? Thanks!
Hey girl! Sorry I’m really late on this, I’m not as active with comments these days 😆🙏 but if you’re still wondering I would file under “musical compositions” unless you’re recording & producing the song yourself as well then you could file under sound recording ❤️ I’m thinking of doing another video since there’s been some changes to the site and I’ve learned more from other types of artists in the comments! ❤️
What if someone sends false claims to remove my content on TH-cam and attaches fake certificates with it, and unfortunately TH-cam deletes my songs and I lost many TH-cam channels because of that. Do I have to wait for the certificate before I release the songs?
I write lyrics , how much short lyrics can I register for multiple choures and verses in one group ?
Can you Copyright under 2 names, meaning 2 Writers?
Hello Haley! Can I just copyright only lyrics? I’m not a singer but I do have lyrics however I feel scared to let people sing my lyrics and later claim they wrote them.
Thank you for your video! How good does the sound file had to be for the copyright? Can i just take my guitar, and then later do the real recording with a band?
Hey! I used to record them with a USB mike on my computer just playing the guitar and singing so I’d say if the song is recognizable then you’re good! The only thing I would note that I’ve learned recently is that if you are not going to be producing the song and you’re solely the songwriter and artist then you should file it under musical compositions! I was emailing with the library about this! ❤️
@@HaleyGraves that is very helpful! Thank you so much for your time!
what if some songs were finished previous years? so like not all i created were the same year and i'm barely copyrighting them before uploading them on distrokid
That’s fine! I had my album copyrighted even though I wrote all the songs over 5 years altogether 😊 and I just registered them for the year I got the copyright
Can I drop my song after I submit the forms and not wait till I get it in the mail?
That was incredibly helpful! Best one with regards to specific questions. I only have two more if its possible for you to give me your take. If you're registering say 8 songs and some were written 20 years ago to a few months ago, what would you put as a date of finishing the song? Lastly, some of the songs i'm registering are mixed and mastered and some are just scratch demo's but finished lyrics, would you register all as sound recordings? i think the answer is yes from the video but just wanted to be sure. And if later you do a pro recording of your own song, would you now have to reregister the new sound recording? I think you thought yes. anyway, any comments would be helpful. thanks again!
Dude such a good question cause I ran into this problem myself too! I’m always writing songs and using old recordings of half written songs so it’s hard to pinpoint a date when I copyright!
What I found on Google was that the publication year should be used which would be the date it was published or released. In the most basic case I suppose that would be the date posted at least? Though I feel like if you consulted with them they might have a more direct answer
As for the pro recording I’m not 100% sure though I have also ran into that issue and then just not re copyrighted the pro version. If you’re super worried use their contact form cause they do actually get back to you and are helpful!
Thanks so much. when you say "they" you mean the copyright office?@@HaleyGraves
@@DaveMercierMusic yeah sorry haha that’s right
I also have a question regarding copyrighting lyrics only, as I want to find a band to write music with. How long do the lyrics have to be? So far, I only have two sentences, which would be the chorus, but I think they could be very anthemic. I can come up with some more sentences if there's a minimum, but I don't know what the minimum is.
That’s a good question! I don’t think it’s answered on their site but you could always write one fo the free lawyer sites I think could give a good answer. But for me I’d say if you had the whole thing as a sound recording even if there was just two sentences repeated at parts of the song it could still be copy right. Not to claim those two sentences, cause I don’t think you can claim only 2 as copyright but those sentences in that context with that music.
@@HaleyGraves Thanks, but I’m still confused. I want the lyrics copyrighted; I’m not a composer. But you’re thinking I should just come up with some music around the lyrics to safeguard them?
@@lisellesloan3191 You would file it under "Work of Performance Art" then just upload the lyrics. At this point, wait until you have the song finished. Else you're just paying 65 dollars for 2 sentences, and then another 65 dollars any time you want to add more.
What If ive promoted the song on tiktok? does that count as being published? I use a specific sound bite. Its not the full song but i'm just worried.
I think it doesn’t matter if you sampled something as long as you’re not making money off of it. Where that gets dicey is if you published the song to iTunes, Spotify etc. like somewhere that people pay for it not just on a free viewing site like tiktok or TH-cam. You would definitely need to check the copyright on it before trying register your song for copyright though for sure
I thought it was 55 they change the prices? and if is 65 can you still pay 65 when uploading multiple songs like your first video with 55
Yeah they changed their prices, and when I check their website it says $85 for a “Registration of a claim in a group of unpublished works” but the group can copyright up to 10 songs at once so for me I feel like it’s worth it to copyright a bunch at once
What if I did the payment method to copyright my song? what’s the difference between doing it for free like this and paying for it done like your other video?
From what I know of the music industry both ways cost money actually but it’s just paying for a copyright certificate from the library of Congress and paying them to register your sound recording in their data base which would be a quick way to show you had done the song first in court. However, just by posting your song on TH-cam or somewhere else or performing the song your music is naturally protected by copyright laws. Most people think “copy written” means a certificate or company certifying your song but copy right laws protect all music as soon as it’s been published by an artist regardless of wether you obtained a certificate or not. You can always find a lawyer on those free ask sites if you don’t want to pay to consult with one though! That would be the most sure-fire way ☺️
Could you do 10 songs with 10 word doc lyrics???
I'm curious , I filed copyrights years ago and there use to be a section for a pseudonymous name. But now I don't see that option on any of the online forms. I would like to release my works with a pseudonymous name as in I really would like to stay an unknown artist of the work for a cupule of years before coming forward as the actual owner of the work. Is this possible ? Thanks a ton in advance.
Oh dude that’s so strange! I haven’t sent for copyright in a bout a year so I’m not sure if they’ve changed it but I hope not
So ASCAP or BMI asks for an ID number per song. That is how songs are traced by them? Doing a group of songs, how would that be recorded with PRO?
That I don’t know honestly I’ve never worked with ASCAP but I’m sure with a little googling you could sort it out or post a question on one of those free lawyer asks sites or quora
Or find a Tiktok acct Instagram YT etc for an active entertainment lawyer and try your luck with asking in the comment section!
Can you copy right 5 eps in one go that are already published?
I’d say so! I’ve published songs and copy written them later
What if I only watched part 1 and registered the sound recordings and uploaded the mp3 files but did not upload lyrics? Will I have to re-register my songs or can I just somehow request to add the lyrics to the registration with the mp3 files?
You don’t have to upload the lyrics to copyright the song! If you uploaded a sound recording then you have your lyrics being sung/spoken in that sound recording. I usually never upload lyrics when I register 😊
@@HaleyGraves Hi Haley, what if you registered your completed song under "Work of Performing Arts" but did NOT include the lyrics as a separate document? If your song has the lyrics/vocals on it, does it automatically register the lyrics as well, or is that ONLY if you register it under "Sound Recording"?
One question if pay to use a beat how do I copyright my lyrics
Hey! Good question, if you don’t own the rights or have permission on the beats and just want to copyright the lyrics, maybe record the lyrics acapella and also upload the word doc with it 😊 (like no beat version)
Also I think that would be handled on the limitations screen “Complete this screen to limit your claim only if this work is based on or incorporates preexisting material” “material that was previously published,
material that was previously registered,
material that is in the public domain, and/or
material that is owned by an individual or legal entity other than the claimant who is named in the application.”
So I think it’d be the last one, where the beat would be material that was owned by someone else? You can also send them a message asking how to handle this at www.copyright.gov/help/ ☺️👌
What if I'm from a country outside the US but I post poetry on the internet in English? I still have to use the US site?
That I don’t know! But they’re super responsive on their website so you could use the contact form and ask. Or there’s also free sites where you can ask a lawyer and eventually one will answer your question
I’d say just go for it and post it though! Life’s too short to hold back from sharing your art ❤️
What if you have music from TH-cam that you used to write your original song?
I think that would depend on wether the music was free for commercial use or not. If it’s not free for commercial use or bought as a sample I think you should ask a lawyer for more info!
Sorry I don’t have more info on this 😞
You can also use copyright.gov contact help form. They’re pretty fast to respond and they can answer this question for you I’m sure!
Are your lyrics protected by copyright if registered with your sound recording?
Yes, if you choose the option Sound recording. If you are trying to song only or lyrics only, choose the option Work of the Performing Arts
Aye you posted.. I have a album the songs suck.. I also am about to release another album in a couple weeks my songs are on this account so yea.. cool..
don’t say that! If you like them and enjoy the music that’s what matters, no one starts out with professional sounding songs if that’s what you’re worried about, try not to compare yourself to what you hear on the radio or other indie artists 😌♥️ keep making your music and having fun with it 👍☺️
@@HaleyGraves yea thanks. My first album the vocals are meh. My newer album songs I like alot more because the feel of the songs and the vocals are way better.. but thanks I have learned to like my voice.. I don't think anyone really like their voice and everyone's critic is themselves I guess.. thanks
@@HaleyGraves when I get ready to do the application for sound recordings can I upload just the lyrics to be accepted if the sound recording isn't ready or should I wait and do both when everything is completed
ChrisJohnsonTV I would wait for the sound recording to be ready so you don’t have to pay to register twice!!
Hi, I am refused. Could you help me to check whether I am wrong?
I have an original video too that’s more step by step!
@@HaleyGraves Thanks, where is the original video?
Sooo i just hit upload and realized i didnt attatch the lyrics, what should i do?
Oh dang haha well did you have an audio recording of the song? I don’t think the lyrics written out are 100% necessary unless you’re song has more of a slur feel to the words and you can’t fully define them by listening
But you can also use their contact form to ask what to do they’re pretty good at getting back to you via email!
@@HaleyGraves hey thank you so much for the response, i recently did use their contact form and im currently waiting for a response! and i did upload a audio recording so i think im good but better safe than sorry :D
Hi Haley, did you see that they increased the price to register a group of unpublished sound recordings to $85? 😳😳😳
I did it’s so sad 😞 I’ve got to make an updated video again cause I also need to explain the difference of registering as a songwriter vs as the songwriter & producer
@@HaleyGraves
Definitely. Your videos are so helpful 🙂
My Entertainment lawyer charge me 300 dollars for 40 songs to get copywriting ten songs ain’t enough all my albums be 21 songs but I did love the videos you made about the subject
Hey whatever way works for you, it’s definitely the most ideal option to have a lawyer do it with you! I’m glad you enjoyed the video though ☺️
Hi Harley Graves,
Nice to hear your song. Would u like to collobrate with us...
Can I just copyrights my Lyrics
Sure! That would be like copyrighting an a cappella song which I believe is totally doable and cheaper since it’s not a sound recording. I think you would look under registering a a claim on an original work of authorship in that case. Unless you wanna sing the melody and record that for the song. (Which would then make it like an acapella song)
@@HaleyGraves Hi! Thanks for your video. I have a demo but its missing part of the ending of the song. I'm hesitant to copyright it since the ending is not there yet. Is it better to just save an acapella version as an MP3? I began my registration but i clicked on sound recording since it was recommended. I don't quite understand your reply to the user above @ShirleyH as is not clear to me if i have to change the type of work option. In another do i have to delete my application, and is it a big deal if i'm missing the last bit of the song.
@@HaleyGraves so if I've purchased leases and exclusive beats from producers...I should just copyright all my lyrics as acapella? Eventhough I've added vocals to the Beats and it's considered new songs.
@@theofficial_ghenghischan2383 this is what I too need to know?
@@leahightower fyi...I just copyrighted my vocals only as acappella since I'm not the original owner of the beats I purchased. If that helps.
but it's totally fake