How to copyright your music
Copyright protects creative works and enables composers, literary authors and other creators to be paid for their work. Copyright is the means by which those who create and own works (e.g. music and lyrics) can control who makes use of each work and the circumstances in which it is used, to ensure that the integrity and value of the work is respected.
Copyright protects original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, sound recordings, films, broadcasts and the typographical arrangement of a published edition (ie how it looks on the page). The legal framework for copyright (one type of intellectual property) is the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 [CDPA] as amended.
Copyright in a song
Every song comprises two copyright works:
- The music itself (a musical work)
- The lyrics/words (a literary work)
For more information on copyrighting please visit www.copyright.gov
May 20th, 2009 at 5:31 am
MANAGE YOUR OWN RIGHTS!
The world of music copyright is evolving. Monopolies of collecting societies are under pressure. Composers complain about a lack of benefit, users about non-transparent and high tariffs. Why should you as a composer pay a membership fee to such an organization, when you have to fill in a lot of forms and get nothing or little in return? Why should you as a user pay such high tariffs? This can change.
• VILLAMUSICRIGHTS is a worldwide operating website for music authors (composers) and users of their musical works.
• VILLAMUSICRIGHTS provides a database on which music authors and lyricists make their works available together with the necessary licences.
• VILLAMUSICRIGHTS plays a role as a facilitator in the contacts between music authors and users. The authors grant home users permission to download these works for free. With commercial users special arrangements are made.
• VILLAMUSICRIGHTS provides advice on licences and rates. Composers and users all have to register in advance.
• Composers have to declare and guarantee that they are authorized to exercise copy rights regarding the musical works in question. Users have to declare not to perform or reproduce the musical works for any other use than specified.
• Payments between authors and business users are handled by VILLAMUSICRIGHTS which receives a commission in remuneration of the cost of display, advice and transactions.
http://www.villamusicrights.com