Probably a dumb question but...

[ryanrice]

Hey guys,

I'm seriously considering joining Taxi, but I can't seem to find an answer to one of my questions. When you submit songs for a listing, do you need to have the copyright for it? I'm guessing yes, but wanted to know for sure. It's the one thing that doesn't make sense to me. I can write and record songs like crazy, but I don't have the $ to copyright them on a consistent basis, on top of submission fees, and whatever else it takes.

If someone can please shed some light on this subject, that would be much appreciated. Or even examples or tips on how to make copyright(if needed) more affordable. Thanks,

Ryan

[hazineju]

hi Ryan - welcome to the forum.

Quick answer is that your songs don't need to be registered with the Library of Congress in order to submit. I think they are technically considered copyrighted once you have written them.

You can do a "poor man's copyright" and send the song to yourself (on a cd, for example) in the mail, and don't open it. To save money when you copyright them with the Library of Congress you can copyright a big bundle of your songs as a collection. You only have to pay the one fee for however many songs you submit in your collection. Hope that helps!

[northerndawgs]

Hey Ryan! Welcome! There are no dumb questions. Agree with Hazineju. If you're looking for more, maybe you haven't had the chance to check out: Recording Magazine that comes with your membership - they always have a piece on Know Your Rights; or visit the articles available thru Recommended Reading on TAXI; or visit the biz forum. Back to work now...

[Casey H]

Theoretically you own the copyright to your song the moment you create it. Registering a copyright with the Library of Congress is a process to document it in case you ever need to file a lawsuit for infringement.

You DO NOT need to have filed with the LOC to submit to Taxi listings. I wouldn't let that hold you back since people stealing your music is very rare. However, since you can file a copyright for multiple songs as a collection with one $35 application fee, when you have a bunch ready, you might want to file as an extra precaution.

The "poor man's copyright" where you mail a copy to yourself is worthless in a court of law so don't bother.

HTH
Casey